HOMILY Fourth Sunday of Easter April 22, 2018 St Austin, Austin, TX

HOMILY    Fourth Sunday of Easter    April 22, 2018  St Austin, Austin, TX

          In the second reading we just heard St John assures us “Beloved, we are God’s children now.”  

          Ain’t that GREAT!?!    We are God’s children NOW.  Not in some distant future, not at some unspecified time, but NOW.  That is who we are.   And it is GOOD to know who we are.

          But with that knowledge comes some responsibility.  Of course.  The teaching of Vatican Council II is that we are the Church, and that as the Church we are a SACRAMENT of the salvation of the whole world.   How does that work?

          In the Gospel Jesus tells us: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.  These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice and there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

          In these days when the divisions between peoples seem to be growing and deepening, when there is growing animosity between religions and beliefs, between nations and races, we need to hear Jesus’ surprising, indeed outrageous, statement that there will be one flock and one shepherd. 

          Who are these other sheep that Jesus must lead?  It is everyone.  Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Jews, Moslems, Hindus, Bahais, Zoroastrians, Atheists, everybody.

          Jesus plainly tells us, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.  These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.” 

          Why is this?  Well, St. Peter in our first reading today, from the Acts of the Apostles, clearly tells us: “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race byque

which we are to be saved.”    There is no other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.

          Then how can all these billions of people who do NOT call upon the name of Jesus be saved?

          Ahhh, that is where YOU come in.  Because we who DO call upon the Name of Jesus are a SACRAMENT of the salvation of the whole world.  A Sacrament is an effective sign that makes real and present a spiritual reality.  And according to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, YOU are the Church, and therefore YOU are an effective sign which makes real the salvation of all the world.  You are God’s children now.  But not for your sake only, but primarily for the sake of ALL THE WORLD.  [See Catechist of the Catholic Church numbers 774 through 780.]

          Just as the bread and the wine consecrated at this altar become a Sacrament, an effective sign of the real presence of Jesus with us, verily His Body and His Blood, so we, Baptized into His Body, coming from every race, language, nationality, sexual orientation, political party, gender and class, forming one Body in Christ, are a Sacrament of the salvation of the whole world.  We are a sign that effectively makes present the reality of the salvation of all the world.  Ohhh.  That is a pretty big job. 

          Brothers and sisters, we used to teach that “extra ecclesiam nulla salus”, or “outside the church there is no salvation.”   The church was seen as the barque, or ship of St Peter, like the ship up there in the window.  The ship of St Peter brought us safe over the choppy, dangerous waters of life.  Our job was to stay inside the ship and NOT TO ROCK the boat.  Obedience was the primary virtue of the laity. 

          But that changed with Vatican Council II.  Given the situation we find ourselves in today, and thanks to the hard work of many Biblical and Patristic scholars, the Church was re-envisioned as a Pilgrim People, travelling through time to the full Kingdom of God.  The primary virtue of the laity now is WITNESS.  Witness by your lives and your words to the power of Jesus Christ in your life.  Because, you are God’s children NOW, and you are therefore called to be a sacrament of salvation for the whole world.  We make present and real the Will of God to save all people in Jesus Christ. 

          We, as the Church, are greatly blessed.  But this blessing is not only for our personal salvation.  Rather we have a mission and a ministry to be a sacrament for the salvation of all the world.  So that Jesus Christ may ultimately be the Good Shepherd of all people everywhere.  How this will happen is hidden in God’s plan.  But our part is clear.  How we lead our lives, how we pray, how we think of ourselves, are all important.  We are the sacrament of salvation for the whole world.   We are God’s children now. 

AMEN.