|
Sts. Joseph & Paul Catholic Church |
Homily Archives | |
 |
Fourth Sunday of Easter “Jesus said: My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (Holding up my First Communion picture) Can anyone guess who this is in the picture? Can you guess what day this was for me? Can you guess what year this picture was taken? I keep this picture in my office, and occasionally someone will see it and ask if that is me in the picture. I happily tell them that it is my First Communion picture. I also tell them that it serves to remind me of the innocence and willingness of a child to come to believe in the love of Jesus, who died and rose for us.
It is powerful to think that a
child, without any real proof, can come to believe in this man named
Jesus and that he is our Savior. It is powerful to think that a child
can come to believe that Jesus was born in a stable, that his mother
was a young Jewish woman, that God was his Father, and that Joseph
adopted him. It is powerful to think that a child can come to believe
that Jesus grew up and spent his days teaching, praying, healing and
forgiving people. It is powerful to think that a child can come
to believe that the bread and wine that we offer at Mass become for us
the Body and Blood of Jesus.
Most of us have our pictures taken on our First Communion day. These pictures help us remember the innocence and the willingness that we need to grow in love for Jesus. However, experience tells us that the innocence and willingness of a child to believe in Jesus can weaken and even fade, as we grow older. Throughout our lives, we acquire many possessions that we come to believe will save us - a bigger house, a nicer pair of shoes, a new car, a better job. These might make us feel good or even look good for a while, but they won’t save us. Only Jesus can save us. What about your love for Jesus; has it grown and deepened over time? Is it stronger, brighter and more intense then it was when you were a child? Or has it faded and become lost to the complications of our world? Is your love for Jesus just sitting there, waiting for the spark to ignite it? Whether we are close to or far away from Jesus in our relationship with him, Jesus the Good Shepherd will guide us on our Easter journey, leading us to salvation. If we listen for his voice, we will come to know him more closely, and then we will desire to follow him even more intently. Though it is difficult to hear the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, call out to us and speak our names, encouraging us along the way, I know that people today are looking for places where they can hear Jesus. I say this because more and more people go on mission trip; people are also taking time to go on spiritual retreats. More people are reading the Bible and religious books. Some people even have a spiritual director and a regular person to whom they go for confession. If all of this is happening, then why is it so hard to hear Jesus speak to us? Maybe it is because we are looking outside of ourselves, instead of within. It is easiest to hear Jesus from within. Some call it that still small voice within our very selves. We must be quiet, be still, listen, and hear Jesus speak to us and tell us that he loves and cares for us.
In the end, it only takes the
innocence and willingness of a child to come to believe that Jesus the
Good Shepherd is there for us all. Jesus himself said, “let the
children come to me; do not hinder them. For, unless you come like a
little child you will not enter the kingdom of God.” We only need to
listen to him speak to us. |