4th SUNDAY OF EASTER C
NO ONE CAN SNATCH YOU AWAY FROM ME
JN 10: 27-30
Do you know that Cambodian Catholics suffered greatly during Polpot’s regime? Bishops, priests and nuns were killed or banished; Catholics were forbidden to practice their faith and nearly half of them were massacred. When freedom of religion was allowed, missionaries cycled through the villages greeting people in French to survey how many Catholics survived. And indeed, the hidden Catholics, who knew their former priests spoke French, joyfully gravitated towards the missionaries and rejoiced at their return.
The Lord Jesus often spoke about the mutual attachment between shepherd and sheep. The sheep can identify the voice of the shepherd. Upon hearing him, sheep follow their master. The shepherd in turn devotes his life tending the sheep to the point of laying down his life if needed.
What does the voice of the shepherd signify for the sheep? Perhaps it reminds them of security. Here comes one who provides food and water. Or maybe it gives them a sense of protection since they have seen the shepherd defend them time and again. Surely this voice transmits to the sheep the shepherd’s commitment to be with them, to walk with them, to stay with them night and day. No wonder, trust and obedience are the natural response of the flock to their master.
St Benedict teaches us that the foremost duty of every Christian is to listen to the Lord. St. Paul insists that faith comes from hearing (Rom 10: 17). And God certainly wants to share his cherished message to us, his good news. What better assurance, what greater promise is there than to hear the Lord Jesus say to us: no once can snatch you from my hand; no one can snatch you from the Father’s hand. Like sheep, we are safe in the care of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the God who loves us!
As sheep are exposed daily to perils in the pasture or in the enclosure, so we too experience countless struggles in our daily life. We have personal problems, as well as problems with relationships at home, at work or in the community. We have financial or business troubles. We struggle with weakness and sickness. Some are even targets of mistreatment and hatred. In these moments we feel so vulnerable and threatened, leading us to fear, discomfort and insecurity.
At the Resurrection, Jesus tells us that no one and nothing can separate us from God. He rose from the dead precisely that he may continue to lead us like a flock, to guide and protect us as he did to his disciples, to journey with us until the end of time. As Christians, we need only to listen to his voice that speaks to us in the Scriptures and in the church. Hearing his message of comfort and hope, we live in trust and peace. Fr Dolindo’s prayer can be a powerful guide for us to live this Easter message: Lord Jesus, I surrender myself to you; take care of everything.
(Let us pray for a clean, peaceful and honest elections. Let us vote for change. Let us vote for the candidate who is always there to be with the people, to face the people, and to serve the people!)
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