Fourth Sunday – Easter Cycle C
Reflecting on Acts 13:14, 43-52
What profoundly Good News the Gospel is for those who are poor in spirit. Listen to the stories of those who stepped into baptismal fonts at Easter Vigils all around the world this year:
The Good Shepherd
I was hungry for more in my life, and learning about Jesus fed me.
No one ever exposed me to the spiritual life when I was growing up. When my friend talked to me about his faith, I knew how much I wanted that for myself.
My soul craved the beauty and depth of the Catholic faith. For example, no one ever gave me saints before. Now I have all of them as my friends. And, of course, there is the Eucharist.
Sometimes I wonder if we “cradle Catholics” are like the Jews whom Paul and Barnabas encountered on their missionary journeys. Nobody could give them anything new and wonderful because they were already the “experts” on how God works. And so they missed Jesus, the fulfillment of everything they had longed for! But the soul-starved Gentiles, empty in a Roman world of gods and goddesses, recognized their Savior and rejoiced that they could be part of him. What good shepherds those early Christians were for those who were outside the sheepfold.
Listen to the stories of those who have just joined us. They are wake-up calls for all of us who were carried to the font as babies and have never truly appreciated the faith for which others have longed.
Sharing God’s Word at Home:
Who are the people who have shepherded you in the faith?
My Aunt was a nun. I think her prayers did so much for me. And she was always asking questions about our faith. She has alzheimers now, she doesn’t know me, but she still remembers hymns and now our conversations all all sung.