[Salvation]

4th Sunday of Easter:  "Who do you smell like?"

 

The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/042615.cfm

 



Pope Francis’ famous advice to priests at the annual Chrism Mass in Rome last year: “Be shepherds with the smell of sheep,” takes on a beautiful reinforcement this Sunday in Jesus’ words from the Gospel: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep . . . I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me.” While a call to all of us “shepherds” in priestly ministry it is also the call to all of us Christians, wherever we may find ourselves. In our vocations we are all called to smell like the sheep.

But, what does it mean to take on the odor of a not too bright animal? We are not obviously supposed to smell like wet sheep (not pleasant) but it certainly makes a point about ministry and service.  I doubt any other Pope has ever used shepherd talk in just this way but it hits home like the parables of Jesus. 

To so identify with someone, like a shepherd with his flock, is to know them, to understand them, to sympathize and to celebrate with them; to walk among them in a caring and sympathetic way. Like spouses who are married for many years.  Over time, they come to know each other so well they can communicate without words because they know how the other spouse thinks and feels.
All it might take is a certain expression on their face, a gesture of the hand, and kind of non-verbal signal that speaks loudly.

Before they make a decision or bring up a problem they can say to themselves, “I know what he/she will say.”  “I know how they will react.” or even, “I know what you’re thinking.”  All without words because they know each other so well.  In a sense, you might say they smell like each other.  Hopefully, the fragrance is pleasant! It’s even not unusual that after so many years together if one spouse dies the other may not be far behind.

So our readings on this “Good Shepherd Sunday” present to us a shepherd (Christ himself) who cares so deeply for his sheep that he not only knows them so intimately but he will willingly die for them: “I will lay down my life for my sheep.”  No other shepherd would do such.  For Jesus, his presence among us is not a job or occupation it is a relationship of love and life. But, do we his sheep really know our Shepherd? Or perhaps to put it another way – Do we smell like the shepherd?

The Sunday’s Gospel passage from John really does reflect the experience of the early Church towards the end of the first century when both Jew and Gentile (I have other sheep) are by now an ordinary part of the Christian community.  In fact the Church is predominantly Gentile among the believers and the Church is distinct from the Jewish community.  The passage reflects the experience of ministry with all of its beauty and tensions.

Christians were a people who could be “smelled” a mile away.  The Church, all Catholic of course, was several centuries away from being the religion of the Empire so they were a gathering of people suspect and occasionally persecuted, at times ruthlessly so by Roman Emperors with such infamous names as Nero and Diocletian. 

What made those early Christians so identifiably fragrant?  It was their identity with Jesus and the Gospel Way.  The Church’s honor for the thousands over the first few centuries who gave their lives in martyrdom is legendary.  Those who knew how they smelled yet were not apologetic for it shed their own blood like their shepherd had done for them.

As we hear in our first reading from Acts, Peter filled with the Spirit (post-Pentecost) boldly proclaims by the name and person of Jesus that, “It was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean” crucified and risen that “this man stands before you healed.” In Jesus name miracles continued to happen and the name of Jesus Christ is the one by which salvation is offered. Yes, you could smell them from afar.

Can you imagine if Peter, Paul or any of the other Apostles would have had access to the internet and all of our present means of instant communication? We are so accustomed to our internet, Facebook, email, texting, cell phones, television and tweets that such means of spreading a message would have boggled the minds of these courageous men.  Many centuries later, our culture of today may smell very differently. In the end, however, our Christian way of life is essentially about relationships.

We are in a bond, both human and spiritual, with Jesus Christ. Made his children in baptism, born into the new life of his death and resurrection, we take on a particular odor.  In the Gospel Jesus speaks of a relationship he has with his Father: “Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father . . .” For his dying and rising was the work of Father, Son and Spirit.  And we, as his sheep, are now invited into that same covenant of love and life.  Our Shepherd knows us intimately.  He calls us by name (our Vocations) to lives of love and service but it is the Trinity of Persons operative in our life at the same time. 

Our Eucharist each week is a moment of relationship as we receive this good shepherd who gave his life and now feeds his sheep with his own flesh and blood.  And when we receive, we smell like him. 

Have you ever said to someone, “You smell like Jesus.”  Probably not but maybe this weekend it would be good to see Christ in others and to point out their scent. “You smell like love.  You smell like humility.  You smell like mercy or compassion.  You smell like self-sacrifice. You smell like courage.  You smell like holiness. You smell like the Holy Spirit.  You smell like Jesus!

Who do YOU smell like?

Look upon your flock, kind shepherd,

and be pleased to settle in eternal pastures

the sheep you have redeemed

by the Precious Blood of your son.

Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. 

 

(Prayer after Communion)

[Salvation]

Journeying from Regret to Joy

Fr. Nnamdi Moneme, OMV

 

The disciples were still incredulous for joy.

I knew one of my parishioners as a quiet devout lady who attended Holy Mass every morning. All I remember about her was greeting her and saying goodbye to her every day after Mass. After she suddenly passed away, her daughter told me things that I never would have guessed about her mother. Every single day of her life, the deceased rose around 2 am to spend hours in prayer. I was really edified. Then the daughter showed me her mother’s prayer book, and behold, I found my name along with the names of many other people written in her prayer book. She was praying and sacrificing herself for me all these while and I never recognized her, I never knew what moved her, I never spent time with her, I never had a chance to chat with her, I never expressed my gratitude to her. Talk about a sense of regret that came over me.

Think of this: I regretted not recognizing and appreciating more a woman who prayed and sacrificed for me. How much more will the regret be if I do not recognize in this life Jesus Christ who suffered, died and was raised for me? I wondered, is my life today “a life of faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given Himself up for me?”(Gal 2:20)

In the First Reading, St. Peter describes Jesus as the “Holy and righteous one” who was not recognized by the people. Jesus, who “did all things well,”(Mk 7:37) who went about “doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil,”(Acts 10:38) and whose suffering and death “was announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets,” was not still not recognized as the Messiah by His people. On the contrary, they put Him to death, preferring instead the murderer Barabbas.

Before we berate the Jews for their blindness and inability to recognize Jesus despite all the amazing things that He did and the affirming words of the prophets, let us reflect on the words of the Catechism:

Since our sins made the Lord suffer the torment of the cross, those who plunge themselves into disorders and crimes crucify the Son of God anew in their hearts (for He is in them) and hold Him up to contempt. And it can be seen that our crime in this case is greater in us than in the Jews. (CCC#598)

Jesus lives in our hearts today and He performs many amazing things for us today. St. John teaches us in today’s Second Reading that Jesus is both our “advocate with the Father” and “expiation for our sins.” As our expiation, He has won forgiveness for our sins. As our perpetual advocate, all sacramental graces, blessings, virtues, strength, truly good and holy desires come from the risen Christ. We have every reason to recognize Him now and we also have greater regret in store for us if we fail to do so but choose to crucify Him by our sins and refusal to repent.

Sunday’s readings bring before us the call to move from regrets to joy by recognizing in our midst the presence of the Crucified and Risen Author of life. In raising His Son from the dead, our Father beckons on us to journey away from regrets towards a real participation in the paschal joy of the risen Christ. We can discern from today’s readings five ways of recognizing Christ with us in our lives and the joyful hope that comes from this recognition.

We recognize Jesus with us through prayer, by listening to His words and speaking to Him. In listening to Jesus’ words without knowing that it was Him, the two disciples on the way to Emmaus recounted, “Where not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures for us?”(Lk 24:32) This was no monologue but an honest dialogue as they also responded to Jesus’ words by honestly sharing with Him their regrets and frustrated hopes, “But we were hoping that He (Christ) would be the one to redeem Israel.”(Lk 24:21) When we too prayerfully read the scriptures with faith and speak to Him from our hearts without any pretense, we allow the risen Christ to set our hearts on fire too and we begin to recognize His presence with us.

Secondly, we recognize Jesus with us through ongoing repentance from our sins. St. Peter reminds the Jews in the First Reading of their regretful ignorance but does not leave them in regrets. Repentance begins the journey away from regrets to joy, “Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.” Sin blinds us to Christ’s presence with us but our honest acceptance of our sinful past and our journey back towards God opens our eyes to recognize Him. In this light, the Sacrament of confession bestows both forgiveness of sins and light to recognize in our lives the presence of the Lord who forgives us our sins.

Thirdly, we recognize Jesus with us through the Eucharist. The disciples first recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread: “Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.” Upon appearing to them, Jesus invites them to touch Him: “Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” It is primarily in the Eucharist that we touch the body and blood of the God-Man Jesus Christ and allow Him to open the eyes of our hearts to His living presence. Faith in the Real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is the first step to recognizing His presence in daily life.

Fourthly, we recognize Jesus with us through our proclamation of Christ, seeking to make others know Him better. We must proclaim the One whom we have encountered in the Eucharist if we are going to recognize His abiding presence. The two disciples enjoyed a longer vision of the risen Christ than their earlier brief experience of Him at Emmaus because they refused to keep their earlier experience to themselves: “They recounted what had taken place on the way, and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.” The disciples are then called to be witnesses to the risen Christ they had recognized: “You are witnesses to these things.” Our firm and unwavering resolve to make Christ better known to others by our words and actions further disposes us to recognize His presence with us.

Fifthly, we recognize Jesus with us through the community of the Church. All the appearances of the risen Christ were either in the community or involved a call to community. Mary of Magdala had tried to hold on to the humanity of the risen Christ but Jesus sends her back to the community: “Stop holding on to me…But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”(Jn20:17) We will recognize Him in our midst when we see Him in others and serve them with love. His presence in the community is so tangible that “in receiving the least in Hisname, we receive Him.”(Mk 10:37) We cannot forsake the community of the Church and hope to recognize Christ in our midst. Let us resist the temptation to try to live the Christian life as lone rangers. We need others.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the disciples where “incredulous for joy and were amazed” because they recognized the risen Christ in their midst. They let go of their regrets and broken hopes about Him and their decisions to follow Him. This too can be our own story if we make use of the above means of recognizing Jesus in our hearts today and His continuous action in our lives no matter what the past may have been. A joyful hope awaits those who recognize Him today.

This same risen Christ whom we encounter in this Eucharist “lives to make intercessions for us.”(Rom 8:34) He prays for us in heavenly glory and on earth He pursues all of us, even those who do not seek for Him. Like a person mad with love, He never ceases to show us His sacred wounds to invite us to journey from regrets about failures, sins, sufferings, etc into His own deep abiding resurrection joy, a joy that this world cannot bring.

We have a choice to make – live in regret or journey to joy. We will enter into His own joy if we recognize Jesus Christ in this life. But, if after all that Christ has done for us and all that He still obtains for us today from Heaven, we still fail to recognize Him, then we will surely regret it in this life and in the life to come.

Glory to Jesus!!! Honor to Mary!!!