Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Alleluia, Christ is truly risen! We are now in the fourth week of celebrating Easter. In this season, we have been focusing on the joyfulness of Christ’s resurrection. For, while life is not all about joy, Christ’s resurrection is the greatest source of joy we could have. For our church this is so important that the celebration of Easter lasts longer than the penitential season of Lent.
These past weeks we have been following the adventure stories of the early church contained in the Acts of the Apostles. Today is no exception; we hear Peter’s explanation to the Jewish Christians (i.e. the Christian believers of Jewish descent) in favor of admitting Gentiles. This was a big deal for the early church, and the Gentile-Jewish conflict was something the church had to work out. Jesus was Jewish, as were his earliest followers, but it became clear that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were not merely for the benefit of Jews, but for Gentiles as well. Christianity was not a complete break with Judaism for the early believers, but there was debate as to whether Gentiles needed to accept Jewish practices (like circumcision) in order to be followers of Jesus. In our gospel reading, we hear Jesus’ proclamation of himself as the gate for the sheep and the good shepherd. In this speech, we already hear the foreshadowing of the welcoming of Gentiles. What ultimately matters is not the adoption or refusal of Jewish practices, but rather the acceptance of Christ as the shepherd and the gate.
Any people, regardless of ethnic origin, can be disciples of Jesus; anyone can be saved by coming to Jesus. We all have the potential to be good sheep, who listen and follow our shepherd and are hence protected by him. We all are called to abundant life in Christ! This is the joyful message of Easter, the thought which we keep in mind throughout the season of celebration. The victory of the cross has transformed everything. Our daily sufferings, now united with Christ’s own sufferings can be used to bring us closer to him. Our joy in this life is a sign of the joy yet to come.
And so, we are called to have life, and have it in abundance. We are pilgrims on a journey, but on the way to heaven we encounter foretastes of that eternal joy. As we continue to walk in the light of the resurrected Lord, may we keep that joy in the forefront of our minds, rejoicing always that God gives us abundant life through his son Jesus!
Maria Morrow