We are supposed to be one Church

THAT’S what we are reminded of, if we bother to take seriously the

gospel of the fourth Sunday of Easter. It’s about Christ presenting

himself as the gate of the sheepfold through which the sheep should

enter. (Jn 10,1-10) He wants to gather us into the one people and

family of God, which is what the Church is.

    “I am the gate for the sheep,” he said. “All who came before me are

thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the

gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go

out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and

destroy. I came so that they might have life and have it more

abundantly.”

    Many practical considerations can be derived from these words that

definitely express to us some basic truths about us. We have to follow

Christ. We have to know him well, his doctrine, and avail of all the

other means he has made available for us to get to know him—the

sacraments, his teachings, the Church, the amazing life-testimonies of

all the saints, etc.

    We need to be familiar with his voice, which means that we have to

exercise our faith and develop an authentic and functioning life of

piety. Our eyes can see him properly, our ears can hear him truly if

we live fully by our faith. To be sure, Christ has given us everything

so that we can be his brothers and sisters, and therefore all children

of God, our Father and creator.

    This can be evidenced by what Christ himself said: “The Father loves

the Son and has placed all things in His hands. Whoever believes in

the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life.

Instead, the wrath of God remains in him.” (Jn 3,35-36)

    This gospel also tells us that whoever has the task of bringing us to

that gate of the sheepfold should be conformed to Christ and carry out

that task as Christ would do it. In other words, we should avoid being

“thieves and robbers” who only “steal, slaughter and destroy” the

sheep.

    We can ask ourselves if indeed these considerations we derive from

this gospel are clear in our mind and motivate us to act accordingly.

I have my doubts. But this is precisely the challenge we have to

tackle.

    We should little by little form the appropriate attitude and

dispositions for this purpose, and cultivate the relevant skills and

virtues. We should aim at nothing less than developing a culture that

is aware and compliant of this duty that is incumbent on everyone of

us, albeit in varying ways.

    We have to feel responsible for one another. Let us inculcate that

sense of responsibility in every opportunity we have—at home, in

schools, offices, and in the different fields of human endeavors, be

it in business and politics, or sports and entertainment.

    We need to explode the myth that this sacred duty and the character

of our human affairs are incompatible. They definitely are not. In

this era of rampaging secularism, when our religious duties and God

himself are not only disregarded but also are attacked, we need to

have sustained effort and campaign to proclaim the truth about our

responsibility for one another in making ourselves the people of God.

    We should do all this with a lot of charity and patience, willing to

bear all the difficulties that we can expect. In fact, we should

expect to be treated like Christ who became a sign of contradiction.

That should not be a big deal to us, if we want to truly follow

Christ.

Our Christian consistency

WE should not be afraid to show our Christian identity at

all times and in all situations. We should not be Christian by name

only, but also by our thoughts, desires and deeds, and in all aspects

of our life. We should not be Christian in good times only, but also,

and most especially, in bad times. We should not be Christian only in

our sacred moments, but also in our mundane activities.

             This does not mean that we have to flaunt our Christian

identity or to exude some kind of a triumphalistic aura. In fact, we

have to be most natural and discreet about it. But it should not be

hidden because of fear or shame.

  

            Remember Christ saying: “Everyone who confesses Me before

men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. But whoever

denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in

heaven.” (Mt 10,32-33)

  

            That Christ is the Son of God who became man to redeem us

means that God in Christ through the Holy Spirit identifies himself

with each one of us at all times. This is the basis for keeping a

consistency in our Christian identity.

  

            This is what our Catechism teaches us clearly:

“Christ enables us to live in him all that he himself lived, and he

lives it in us. ‘By his Incarnation, he, the Son of God, has in a

certain way united himself with each man.” (Catechism 521)

  

            We have to understand that everything in our life can only

have its proper meaning and purpose when referred to Christ. Our

mundane activities and concerns can only acquire their ultimate

meaning and divine value when related to Christ. Even our weaknesses,

errors, failures and sins can only be taken care of properly when

referred to Christ.

  

            We need to spread this truth of our faith, so crucial in

our life, as widely as possible. Let’s listen to St. Paul in this

regard: “Preach the word. Be prepared in season and out of season.

Reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.

For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but

with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit

their own desires.” (2 Tim 4,2-3)

  

            This means that we have to learn how to relate Christ to

everything in our life, and vice-versa, how to relate everything to

him. We have to show how Christ is relevant and necessary in all these

things, how he gives meaning and purpose to them, how he purifies and

elevates them to the supernatural order that is also proper to us,

since we are called to it.

  

            This is not going to be an easy task. And we have to avoid

trying short-cuts, falling either to the extremes of rationalism

(reason alone with no faith) or of fideism (faith alone with no

reason).

             We need to consider the temper of the times and the

lifestyle and cultures of the people. We have to identify the many

elements that either favor or work against this fundamental truth of

our faith, and act accordingly.

  

            The main idea is to help everyone to maintain their

Christian consistency at all times.

Reason for patience

WHY do we have to be patient when faced with all sorts of

suffering, be it physical, moral or spiritual? There can be many

answers to this question, foremost of which, I think, is that it is

what is expected of us—that is, expected of us by God. That simple.

             Patience is understandably a very trying trait to have, a

most difficult virtue to cultivate. It somehow goes against our common

sense, our instinctive impulses. Some people have even regarded it as

unnatural, as inhuman.

             All these spontaneous reactions with respect to this

virtue are understandable given our weakened condition. We tend to see

things in a very limited and shallow way. It takes time and effort,

and of course, God’s grace, before we get to see the true character

and beauty of patience, and fathom its wisdom.

  

            Somehow we are given a glimpse of the reason for patience

through these words of St. James in his letter: “You will always have

your trials, but when they come, try to treat them as a happy

privilege.

             “You understand that your faith is only put to the test to

make you patient, but patience too is to have its practical results so

that you will become fully-developed, complete, with nothing missing.”

(1,2-4)

  

            But another reason for patience is that it somehow allows

us to enjoy the power of God and to see his glory. In that episode,

for example, of the man born blind (cfr Jn 9), the reason given by

Christ to those who asked him about who was responsible or who sinned

that the man was born blind, was, “Neither this man nor his parents

sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed

in him.” (Jn 9,3)

  

            Again, in that story of the raising of Lazarus to life

(cfr Jn 11), Christ did not immediately go to see the dying Lazarus

but somehow waited till Lazarus died. And the reason behind this

behaviour could be found in his words:

             “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s

glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” (Jn 11,4)

             We need to be quick to see the divine reason for every

form of suffering that we can experience in life. Our reactions should

not remain in the human and natural level alone. They should be guided

by our faith in God and in his loving and wise providence.

             And of course, if we look at the passion and death of

Christ, the only reason we can find as to why Christ allowed himself

to die in such a manner, is because of our need for our salvation. He

bore all our sins, killed them with his death and gave us a new

rebirth through his resurrection.

  

            While we have to do everything to resolve all our

predicaments in a human way, we should be quick to react with patience

to all our trials and difficulties. That way, we become more and more

like Christ who is the very pattern of our humanity, the redeemer of

our damaged humanity.