April 25, 2010

Acts 13.14,43-52  Psalm: 100  Rev 7: 9-17  John 10:27-30

1. The fourth Sunday of the Year is traditionally called Vocation Sunday. Formerly, we concentrated on the Vocation to the Priesthood. This was especially in light of the Gospel. It referred to the Good Shepherd. In this Year is the year of the Priest, we pray more for our priest especially those working the your parish. Priests are under a dark cloud with the scandal of a few priests that have caused pain, scandal and mistrust.

2.  However as we can see from our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles,

• the call is to all who have been baptised
• the call is to all who have received the light of Christ
• the call is to be the light to all nations
• the call is to all of us: you and me.

It is a call to be a light that would lead people who lived in darkness to walk in the light. We are not called to judge those living

• in the darkness of sin,
• in the darkness of ignorance,
• in the darkness of instant gratification at all costs.

But simply to shine so that “the Word of God will spread to all nations and the gift of salvation may go to all the corners of the Earth.”

3. So what does this call mean to you and me?  Reflection on the three readings, this call involves five simple steps.

• FIRST: It is a call to go out o the whole world, to people of every nation and language, as the Book of Revelation tells us.  Some of us may say that the story of Paul and Barnabas, was speaking of our own city of Toronto. We have the Gospel preached in more than 40 languages.

• SECOND: We know it is Jesus who calls us. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and he calls us. So we must stay close to him. We must abide in him. Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches. Cut of from Jesus we are dead branches. We would have a voice that is lifeless. We would have words with our meaning. We would be like the lost sheep for which Jesus has to go out in search.

• THIRD: This call of Jesus means a certain dying to oneself.  Paul and Barnabas are persecuted in their first Missionary Journey. This takes place in Southern Turkey. They are contradicted and driven out. The Book of Revelation speaks of the saints as people who have come out of a great ordeal. The seed must fall into the ground and die before it will bear fruit. The Call of Jesus is to spread the Word of God. It is not my word.
• This is a fearsome task. What if I misunderstand the Word? What if I compromise the Word because of fear? What if I misinterpret the Word because of my biases? But and this is the fourth step:

• FOURTH: Since the Call is from Jesus. Jesus supplies us with all the talents and skills and knowledge and understanding of the Word of God. Hence we should ASK Jesus for what we need, especially the Grace of the Holy Spirit that warms tepid hearts and sets warm hearts on fire with the Love of God.

• FIFTH and finally: We need not be afraid in proclaiming the Word of God. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us that what the Father has given is greater than all else and hence no one can harm us.  The Apostles were afraid after the Resurrection. Their belief was not that firm. They hid in the upper room, behind closed doors. However, Jesus assures us that he will be with us at all time. 

4. Way back in 1969, when I was first sent to Guyana, I felt like Paul and Barnabas as they set our for Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. I was  going out with the mandate to preach the good news. But one wise and experienced Priest said to us  “God has been in Guyana long before you arrive, and God will continue to be in Guyana, long after you leave. Do not for a moment think that you are the first to bring the Good News. Your job is simply to be like an arrow pointing the way, a sign which says God loves you and God cares for you. You are simply a reminder to the people that the Kingdom of God is already in their midst. The good Shepherd cares for the sheep of the fold.

5.  I learnt that in a very practical way. I met Hindus who read their Holy scriptures daily and who were prayerful and devout. Across the road from the Church was a Muslim Mosque. They were constantly on the look out for the well being of the Catholics who came to worship. If there were vandals or drunks on the church property, the Muslims were the first to drive them away. The Africans who were descendants of the slaves, who were brought in the 17^th century, taught me a respect for their Ancestors and how to care for those who had gone before us marked with the sign of peace. The presence of God could be touched and seen, heard and felt – now I knew what we read in the Acts of the Apostles, “the salvation of God was brought to the ends of the earth.”