YEAR B: HOMILY FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY (9)

YEAR B: HOMILY FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY

HOMILY THEME: THERE IS NO SALVATION IN ANYONE ELSE OTHER THAN THE GOOD SHEPHERD

BY: Fr. Evaristus Abu

HOMILY:

“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).