1. Underline
the bad, work towards eradicating it. If you leave it open, you may eradicate
both good with it. Tobe Eze.
4th Sunday of Easter (GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY) Year B
FIRST READINGActs 4:8—12
SECOND READING
1 John 3:1—2
1 John 3:1—2
GOSPEL
John 10:11—18
John 10:11—18
THEME:
WHO’S FAULT; THE SHEEP OR THE SHEPHERD?
After
looking at what is happening in the world today, one will be confused. There
are proliferation of churches everywhere in the world and crimes, taboos and
all sort of evils are increasing day in day out. In this situation, one will
ask, is the fault from Christianity or from the Christians? Is it the fault of
the shepherd or the sheep?
In
the first reading, elders left their duties of seeing to the progress of the
people they were shepherding and the community they were to take care of and
were busy looking for a way of killing believers in resurrection to end the
teaching of Christ which is the teaching of life. They were busy asking about
the man healed by Peter and his companions. Our leaders today instead of
accepting the good news and changing their lives, they go about looking for a
way to end up the preacher. Looking for faults from the preacher to put him
down and to end up the message.
In
the second reading, we are meant to know that we are children of God which
means we are answerable to God. We are sheep. Sheep have to obey their
Shepherd. We have to obey God with the last drop of our blood. All his
commandments are still as they are. No edition. We must obey them for they are
the only way that we will meet him at the end of our lives.
In the Gospel the qualities of a good and bad
Shepherd are stated by our Lord Jesus. A good Shepherd lays down his life for
his sheep. How do we treat those under us? St. Peter advised us never to lord
it over the group that is under us (1Peter 5). We are to be good shepherds.
Some may ask who are these shepherds and sheep. We are all shepherds and sheep.
We are leaders to some persons and some are our leaders. When we play our roles
very well both as sheep and shepherds the problem will be over. It is all our
fault.
Coming to particularize it, Christians who are
shepherds, some who call themselves to the work leave the sheep in hard times
to suffer. They leave them when wolf comes and the wolf with tear them apart
and finish them up. Some who have left the purpose of their call to follow other
things also end up frustrating the sheep. They bring the sheep out to troubles
and leave them there. They deceive the sheep and use them to enrich themselves.
On the other hand, some sheep also push some to call themselves to the work of
shepherds. When they push them to the work, they will end up being frustrated
both sheep and shepherds. Sheep are no longer listening to their shepherds
rather they even try to teach the shepherd. A priest in a certain parish after preaching
about those living as married people without wedding that they are committing
fornication or adultery a man met him and told him that he is still a child and
should not tell them how to live in their families. In my home parish one fake
prophet came named Macha Macha, my parish priest warned people before his arrival
but my people insisted on calling him. When he came, he continued warning them
but they continued to follow him around. When my parish priest asked those
involved to abstain from communion, they told him to eat, chop and consume it
alone that they do not care. Sheep leaving the track.
It
is all our fault and the earlier we correct it the better for us. Both the
sheep and the Shepherd are involved so all have to tighten up their bets for
better. THANKS AND HAPPY SUNDAY
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