4th Sunday of Easter Year A

Acts 2:14,36-41
1 Peter 2:20-25
John 10:1-10

Opening the gate to God’s grace.

All of us commit sins and make mistakes. Sins hurt us and those around us. Sometimes, we make the mistake of trying to avoid sin altogether. And if we fail, as we inevitably do, we become discouraged. If this is our approach to sins, we missed the point – we missed the point of God’s grace. Indeed, what matters is not how to can avoid sins. We can’t – by our human strength, we are simply unable to avoid sins. What matters is how we respond to sins. It is our response that channels God’s grace.

Last week in the First Reading, we read St Peter’s sermon to the crowd on Pentecost Day, explaining to them how, in their ignorance, they have crucified the Son of God. In this week’s First Reading, we read how the crowd has responded. We read, “they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?'” (verse 37) Peter responded, “Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (verse 38) My brothers and sisters, do we reflect on our sins as the crowd did? Having reflected, do we feel sorry and repent? For repentance opens the gate through which God’s mercy flows to us, where relationships are mended – among us and between us and God. This is God’s promise of grace. As St Peter said to the crowd, “For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” (verse 39) And as we read, the people took the message to heart. That day, 3000 of them were baptised. Alleluia!

But the grace of God goes beyond the times when we have done wrong. For the times we are righteous and done no wrong, grace is abound as well. In the Second Reading, St Peter expanded on his teachings: “If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval.” (verse 20) In other words, in times when we are righteous, we are called to not bear ill will to those who wrong us. In other words, we are called to emulate Jesus Himself: “When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.” (verse 23) What motivates Jesus to perform such an act of meekness? He did it for love – for the love of us – so that we may turn back from our erroneous ways, as the crowd has done so in the First Reading. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (verse 24) Hence, for the times that we are righteous and suffer undeserved inflictions, rather than feeling bitter – or worse – retaliate, we are called to channel our sufferings towards the conversion of others, just as Jesus has done so. So that together, righteous ones and unrighteous ones reconciled, we may “turned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” (verse 25) My brothers and sisters, this too is a response of grace.

This week, we celebrate the Good Shepherd Sunday. The message of Jesus the Good Shepherd is one of grace and mercy, where Jesus personally tends to us. We read in the Gospel: “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.” My brothers and sisters, let us ask ourselves: Do I hear Jesus calling me? He is constantly calling us to put on grace ? God’s grace. If I have not heard Him, what are the obstacles? There could be many reasons. Perhaps, I have not reflected on my wrongful actions. Perhaps, I am not repentant in my heart. Perhaps, because I have done no wrong, I have grown self-righteous. Perhaps, innocent sufferings have been inflicted upon me, and I feel bitter or worse vengeful. Whatever, the obstacles, Jesus the Good Shepherd is calling me to Him. To hear Him I just have to listen, not with my ears but with my heart.

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (verse 10) Amen.