SERMON/HOMILY FOR 7TH WEDNESDAY OF EASTER – YEAR B
SERMON/HOMILY FOR 7TH WEDNESDAY OF EASTER – YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: BE ON ALERT
BY: Fr. Karabari Paul
“Therefore, be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears.”
The church is described throughout Scripture with several images, such as the family of God, the body of Christ, and the temple of the Spirit. As Paul bids farewell to the Ephesian elders in the First Reading of today (Acts 20:28-38), he uses another familiar picture of the people of the triune God: we are his flock, “the sheep of his pasture” (Ps. 100:3). The reason Paul uses this image is because of who the elders of the church are and what they are called to do.
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Paul’s leadership is marked by his concern for others. He accepts the burden of leadership not to make his life better but to make others’ lives better. His very willingness to travel to hostile places to preach a better way of life is proof enough of this. Yet we also see his concern for others in concrete, personal ways. His concern reflects the concern of Jesus for His disciples in the Gospel Reading (John 17:11-19), where Jesus prays for His followers.
Paul wants the leaders to understand that the first order of business is to guard their own heart and mind (Mark 13:9; Luke 21:34), so that they might be better prepared to then guard the flock entrusted to their watchcare. There are temptations that are unique or peculiar to the position of leadership, which necessitate constant personal vigilance!
He says, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”Sometimes, the greatest threat to the flock is the shepherd. This was clearly the case in Jeremiah’s time, for the Lord said through him, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” (Jeremiah 23:1). Jesus echoed this when He compared the Jews of His generation to sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36-38). In point of fact, there were men appointed to the task of spiritual leadership, but they were so poor at their task that it was as if Israel, in fact, had no shepherds.
On the other hand, shepherds who guard their own hearts will also guard the hearts of the flock. This is the principle of which Paul wrote to Timothy, who later served as a shepherd of this very flock.
The flock of Christ is found everywhere. Apart from the Church, we have different groups of people or individuals entrusted to us by God. It could be our roles as parents, as teachers, doctors, rulers, etc. These individuals or groups are still loved by Christ. He redeemed them, too. We should be careful how we care for them. And while we protect them from fierce wolves, we shouldn’t be the wolves ourselves. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God bless us and protect us through Christ Our Lord Amen. Good morning.
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