Sunday Reflection with Fr Robin Gibbons - 17 April 2016

Good Shepherd painting from Catacomb of Priscilla c 250- 300 AD

Fourth Sunday of Easter 17 April 2016

The Christian family of God did not come into being peacefully, like every human life its beginning was that mixture of joy, surprise, anxiety and hardship, its growth characterized by periods of hostility and persecution as well as growth.

This is no surprise to any of us, for in calling us to 'follow him' the Lord Jesus never gave us any assurances of peaceful existence, only that he would always be with us and that in the end, to use Julian of Norwich's consoling phrase; 'All shall be well'.

I've taken great comfort from Julian's words, she herself did not have an easy existence and counseled many who probably came to her with agonizing dilemmas and problems, but it was counsel of consolation built on a deeper trust that Christ the true shepherd would hold her and the Trinity enfold her. Hers is real Christ-like love, facing up to the truth even if unpleasant and finding in that situation the challenge to change!

It is one of the curiosities of Christianity that it seems to thrive in the face of persecution and hostility, I'm sure there are many reasons but one is quite simple and can easily be applied to our journey in the life of faith!

Paul and Barnabas give us a concrete example, in Acts 13. Preaching in Antioch they meet jealousy and anger towards the Word of Christ, people are whipped up into such open hostility that the apostles 'shake the dust off their feet' and move on. Is this a failure? Initially yes, but we understand that because of this their mission opened itself to a new world, responded to the shutting of doors by opening new ones, which is why we are people of faith nearly 2,000 years later, the later Gentiles!

With all that is going on in our world, with the open persecution of Christians in the very lands where Paul and Barnabas preached, we need to open new doors ourselves, respond to changing circumstances of mission. We must not be too afraid, for the presence of the Lord Jesus holds us. He is our shepherd, we are his flock one not only in time but also eternity, of every race and people and nationality. John's Gospel calls us to action: hear his word, follow him and find comfort in him, always!

Good shepherd, seek me out, and bring me home to your fold again.
Deal favourably with me according to your good pleasure,
till I may dwell in your house all the days of my life,
and praise you forever and ever with them that are there.
(St Jerome, c 342 - 420)