Homily for April 22, 2018.
“This is
the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the head of
the corner. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name
under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12.
All over
the world today, there is a lingering problem of the failure of leadership.
Time and time again, history has shown us that when we place our hopes on human
beings either by voting or electing them into power, they fail us and they fail
us woefully. Nonetheless, from time to time, we find a rather small percentage
managing to do well but on the overall, it is always a repeat of history.
Who is a
shepherd? Jesus answers this question perfectly in today’s Gospel passage. He
not only tells us what a shepherd does, he makes an important distinction
between a good one and a bad one. Jesus says a shepherd is a person who lays
down his life for his sheep. This is the primary function of the shepherd;
self-sacrifice for the benefit of others.
There are
some people who parade themselves as shepherds but are not, Jesus calls them
hirelings. They pretend to be leaders but are simply interested in enriching
themselves; they care only about their own stomachs; they employ various forms
of divide and rule tactic with the sheep; they politicise the issues of the
sheep; they hide under the shadow of religion to destroy the sheep; they cannot
make a single sacrifice for the sake of the sheep. When they see the wolf
coming, they run!
Jesus them
moves on to define the Good Shepherd and the basic quality of the Good Shepherd
is that he knows the sheep and the sheep know him. To be a good shepherd is to
know your sheep. To be a good leader is to know your people. To be a good
father or mother is to know your children. Do I know my sheep?
Unfortunately,
many of our so-called leaders are mere hirelings because they do not know their
sheep. Recently, the world was shocked to hear a man who calls himself a
President and seeks re-election wash down the youths who according to his own
words constitute over 60% of his population. This hireling can afford to say
this because he does not know what the ordinary youth on the street goes
through on a daily basis just to keep mind and body together.
Is it even
possible for one hundred million young people to just sit down at home doing
nothing waiting for freebies? How come they are still alive in a nation with
such harsh economic realities? Truly, bad shepherds are really bad because they
don’t know their sheep. They live in a totally different world from those they
rule over. They enjoy all the benefits of shepherds, they suck the milk of the
sheep, they eat their meat, they use their skins for clothes and shoes, yet
they so shield themselves from the ordinary people.
It is sad
that these hirelings enjoy the protection of our security agencies. From the
man at the top down to the least Government appointee, they move about with
heavily armed security men while those they shepherd who are not rich enough to
afford the army and policemen as body guards become the victims of kidnapping.
O senseless and foolish kidnappers, instead of kidnapping knowledge, inventive
skills and enterprise, you are kidnapping poor people. God himself, our Good
Shepherd will deal with you.
What kind
of shepherd am I? Do I even care about the safety of the life of those under
me? What can I do to change the current situation of bad leadership in my
country, in my area or even in my home? Am I a good mentor and example to my
children, my employees, my students or even the little ones in my neighbourhood
or my field of expertise? Do you consider yourself a successful person? Then
you should ask yourself; “what is the essence of my success if I cannot help at
least one youth around me to be successful?”
Let us
conclude with the message of Pope Francis for today’s celebration (World Day of
Vocations.) According to the Pope, the next General Assembly of all Catholic
Bishops all over the world coming up in October this year shall focus on the
topic: “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.” This is Good News.
I am happy that the Catholic Church is taking the bull by the horns to really
discuss and proffer a way forward for the youths all over the world.
Pope
Francis summed up the situation of the world today as “troubled times” but
noted that even in the midst of this, God continually comes to encounter us as
such there is need for every one of us to listen, discern and live out the word
of God while we develop our talents and become instruments of salvation in the
world. God calls us to joy and so, by listening, discerning and living out the
word of God, we surely find full happiness.
In other
for us to listen to God, Pope Francis says we must learn to be quiet. Like
Jesus, we must create quiet times for ourselves to be alone in prayer. To
discern is to discover one’s vocation; it is a process by which a person makes
fundamental choices in dialogue with the Lord starting with the choice of one’s
state in life. Finally, living the word is all about following God closely by
serving our brothers and sisters. Pope Francis encourages us not to wait till
we are perfect before saying “yes” to God. We should not be afraid of our
limitation and sins but instead open our hearts to the voice of the Lord.
Let us
pray: Lord Jesus, my shepherd, you are the corner stone, guard me as your sheep
and use me to be a good shepherd to others in whatever capacity I find myself.
Amen
Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live
Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (4th
Sunday of Easter – Good Shepherd Sunday. Year B. Bible Study: Acts 4:8-12, 1st
John 3:1-2 and John 10:11-18).
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