Acts 13:14,43-52; Ps 99 (100); Apo 7:9.14-17; Jn 10:27-30
The Project of Salvation
Dear friends, today we are in the middle of this beautiful Easter season. On this 4th Sunday, the Church also prays for vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and married life. The first reading shows how the apostles and the converts are zealous about the new way of life in Christ. Last week, we read about the conversion of St. Paul. By opening his eyes, Jesus made him realize how wrong he was, and this changed him forever. After he discovered the truth about the messiah, Paul joined the apostles to spread the Good News. When we were baptized, one of the responsibilities given to us is to spread the Gospel. Do you carry out this mandate?
The Bible tells us about God’s initiative to save his people from darkness and slavery. We can compare the whole salvation enterprise to a project. In this project, the impact that God intended was to bring everyone back to himself, starting here on earth and later forever in heaven. The overall goal was to have all the values of the Kingdom known and practiced. The specific objectives were the proclamation of the Good News to the poor, the release of the captives and those enslaved, giving sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed (Lk 4:16-20). The intended output was to establish the Church as a vehicle for salvation and to have as many people as possible believing and living the Gospel. The specific activity to be carried out is preaching the Gospel values to all people of all cultures and languages. Are you part of God’s project to save humanity or part of the project of the evil one to destroy it?
God also made an Action Plan – who, when, how – for the salvation project. After Jesus had accomplished the will of his Father, he commissioned his disciples and St. Paul to go out and preach the Gospel to all people (Mt. 28:19-20). They were to preach to all people and baptize them (how). The timeline was from the day of Pentecost until he returns. Through her ministers, the Church has continued to bring the Kingdom of God to people of all cultures and languages. The indicators that the project succeeds are the number of converts and the transformation of both individuals and communities. The target group was first the Jews and later all of us. In the first reading, Paul was disappointed by the rejection of the Gospel by the Jews, thus, he decided to turn to the non-Jews. This would become his mission until he died.
To establish the Kingdom of God in a community deeply entrenched in its traditions or in a globalized culture characterized by relativism is not a simple task. First, it is by no means the accomplishment of the preacher but the work of the Holy Spirit in and through him or her. Many people have gone out to the streets, and others have built Churches with the claim of being sent by God. However, what they do is to attract as many people as possible, brainwash them about life, take their money, and destroy their families and livelihoods. Have you fallen victim to such false prophets?
In the first reading, we hear how Paul decided to turn to the pagans after the Jews refused to receive the Good News. Jesus once told the twelve to leave any place where they would be rejected and even wipe off the dust clinging to their feet. However, those who receive the Gospel and are baptized are destined for the kingdom of God here on earth and later in heaven. They will come from all nations and languages and will be rejoicing before the Lamb. Do you want to be part of God’s project?
Jesus also gives us the criteria for verifying those who convert to the Kingdom. “The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice and they follow me, and for that reason, they will never be lost”. If anyone claims to be a follower of Christ and does not listen to his voice, he or she is a liar and only deceives himself or herself.
Vocation is a call to a particular way of life. God calls each one of us to live one vocation. Many people live unhappily because they feel that they have chosen the wrong vocation. It is difficult to know in which vocation God wants us if we do not give him a chance to guide us. Many parents think that they know what the best vacation for their children is. Later, when the children grow up, they are not able to sustain the life they were forced to lead. Do you feel trapped in the way of life you live?
Dear friends, God always tries to guide us into the way of righteousness through many ways. Many times, we think we know the way, and like the Jews, we end up rejecting the Messiah in our lives.
Have a blessed Sunday
Fr. Lawrence Muthee, SVD
SVD JAMBO KENTAN 