HOMILY FOR THE 4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR C
THEME: THE VOICE OF THE SHEPHERD
BY: Fr. Francis Onwunali
HOMILY FOR SUNDAY MAY 8 2022
Today, we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Easter. Traditionally, today is called Good Shepherd Sunday, “Pastor Bonus”.
In the gospel ,(John 10: 27-30). Jesus speaks on the tremendous trust He has in God His Father and the tremendous trust we ought to have in Him because He is our Good Shepherd and He and the Father are One.
In the first reading (Acts 13: 14, 43-52), the central activities of the early Church now shift from Peter and the other Apostles to Paul and his companions; from the Jewish territories to the Gentile territories. Paul and Barnabas began preaching from Perga to Antioch in Pisidia. When confronted by the Jews, they boldly answered: “We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans”. This made the pagan happy that they are considered worthy of eternal life.
Dear friends, obedience to the voice of the Shepherd grants eternal life. The Lord leads us each day to good pastures- places where we can feed on His word and drink from the well-spring of living water which is His Holy Spirit (John 7: 38-39; 4: 14). If we feed on His word and drink from the living water of the Holy Spirit, we will find the nourishment and strength we need to live each day for His glory and honour. Do I recognize the voice of my Shepherd and Guardian who calls me each day?
I pray as we journey in life today, we will proclaim: “Lord Jesus, you have the words of eternal life”. May God’s word be a lamp to our feet and a light unto our path (Ps 119: 105), for since the Lord is our Shepherd, there is nothing we shall want (Ps 23: 1). May we, on the last day, be part of the huge number that John saw in the heavenly banquer of the Lamb (Rev. 7: 9, 14-17). Have a happy and glorious Sunday!
Fr. Francis Onwunali