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MAY 13, 2025: TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF EASTER

 

May 13, 2025

 


Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Lectionary: 280

 

Reading I

Acts 11:19-26

Those who had been scattered by the persecution
that arose because of Stephen
went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,
preaching the word to no one but Jews.
There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however,
who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well,
proclaiming the Lord Jesus. 
The hand of the Lord was with them
and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord. 
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. 
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.

 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7

R.    (117:1a)  All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
His foundation upon the holy mountains
    the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
    more than any dwelling of Jacob.
Glorious things are said of you,
    O city of God!
R.    All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
I tell of Egypt and Babylon
    among those who know the LORD;
Of Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia:
    “This man was born there.”
And of Zion they shall say:
    “One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
    is the Most High LORD.”
R.    All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R.    Alleluia.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
    “This man was born there.”
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
    “My home is within you.”
R.    All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R.    Alleluia.

 

Alleluia

John 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel

John 10:22-30

The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem.
It was winter. 
And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. 
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
“How long are you going to keep us in suspense? 
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 
Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me.
But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me. 
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. 
No one can take them out of my hand. 
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. 
The Father and I are one.”

 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051325.cfm

 


Commentary on Acts 11:19-26

The results of the early persecution were to scatter the Jewish Christians to places like Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. Phoenicia was a country about 15 miles wide and 120 miles long stretching along the northeastern Mediterranean coast (corresponding to modern Lebanon). Its important cities were Tyre and Sidon, which are mentioned in the Gospels.  The Phoenicians were legendary seafarers.

Cyprus is an island in the north-eastern Mediterranean and was the home of Barnabas the Apostle. Antioch, on the river Orontes, was the capital of the Roman province of Syria, and the third largest city of the empire after Rome and Alexandria. It was 25 km (15 miles) inland from the northeast corner of the Mediterranean.  The first mainly gentile local church was located here.  In many ways, it would become the headquarters for the mission to the Gentiles, and from here, Paul (in today’s reading still called “Saul”) would launch his three missionary journeys—more about them later.

Today we have the story of the Church being founded in Antioch in Syria.  Chronologically, it was an immediate sequel to the martyrdom of Stephen and the savage persecution which followed and scattered the Jerusalem Christians in many directions.  However, in between these readings, we have been looking at the work of the deacon Philip and Peter’s involvement with the Gentiles.  We also saw the conversion of Saul, which is presumed to have already taken place.

At first the refugees only evangelised their fellow-Jews.  But then Jewish Christians from places like Cyprus and Cyrene, on the north coast of Africa, who were used to more pluralistic societies, also began to approach “Hellenists”, i.e. Greeks who were not circumcised—in other words, non-Jews.  These people responded very well and many became disciples of the Lord Jesus.

They used the term “Lord Jesus” rather than “Christ”, which was a title more suited to Jewish audiences with messianic expectations.  With the non-Jews, Jesus was more usually called “Lord”.  He is “Lord” because, elevated to God’s right hand, he now rules over the Kingdom which he inaugurated:

The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord.

This indicated God’s approval and blessing on their work, sometimes indicated by signs and wonders.  It was the beginning of the church at Antioch, one of many ‘churches’ to be set up in the following years.

When all this came to the ears of the people in Jerusalem, who were still thinking primarily in terms of Christians only as Jews, they sent Barnabas to investigate.  Jerusalem, where the Apostles were centred, had a right of supervision over other churches.  And so, the sending of Barnabas was in keeping with Jerusalem’s policy of sending leaders to check on new ministries coming to their attention.  As a Hellenistic Jew from Cyprus, Barnabas was an obvious choice for this mission.

It is clear that Barnabas was very happy with what he found:

When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion…

He saw clearly that the gentile converts were very genuine, and encouraged the local church to continue what it was doing. About Barnabas, Luke comments in Acts:

…he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.

Similar words had also been used to describe Stephen.

Then, Barnabas went off to Tarsus, a city in the province of Cilicia, in what is now the south-eastern corner of Turkey, and brought Saul back to Antioch. Saul had been forced to return to Tarsus after his conversion because the Christians would not believe in its genuineness.  They believed he was simply trying to infiltrate the Christian communities with the intention of destroying them. This resulted in even greater numbers joining the church community under the leadership and formation of Saul and Barnabas, who stayed on for a whole year in the city.

Once again we see innovation and new ground coming from the fringe rather than from the centre and how, after discernment, it is seen to be a valid development.  In our Church today, it is still the fringe which pioneers, while the role of Rome is to consolidate.

It is also an example of the phrase: “The world writes the agenda for the Church.”  It was the influence of a local situation which led to the new insights that were seen as a valid development of the Christian vision.

It was here, too, we are told that the “disciples”, that is, the followers of Jesus’ Way, were first given the nickname “Christians”. This also indicates that those who first coined the term took “Christ” to be a personal name rather than a title.  It is not certain whether the followers adopted the name themselves, or whether it was used by enemies as a term of contempt.

In either case, it is a fitting title for those who attach themselves to Jesus and his Way, and we too should be proud of this nickname. It is not something we should hide, nor is it a name that we should dishonour by our behaviour—and still less wear lightly.

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Commentary on John 10:22-30

We continue the image of Jesus as the Shepherd.  “It was winter” and the scene is Solomon’s portico on the east side of the Temple during the winter festival of Dedication or Hanukkah.  This feast is the commemoration of the dedication of the Temple by Judas Maccabeus in December, 165 BC after it had been desecrated by the Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes.  It was the last great act of liberation which the Jews had experienced.

We are told that Jesus was walking in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.  This was a roofed-in structure not unlike the ‘stoa’ of the Greeks.  It was commonly believed to date back to the time of Solomon (who built the original Temple), but this was not the case.

Again Jesus is questioned very directly by “the Jews” about his true identity:

How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah tell us plainly.

The question clearly indicates that temple authorities had understood the meaning behind many of the things Jesus said and did.  On the other hand, it was not a question that could simply be answered with a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ because of the many divergent ideas and expectations concerning the Messiah which were current at the time.  And certainly none of these ideas corresponded to the kind of Messiah that Jesus would turn out to be.

Once again Jesus says that he has already told them, but they refuse to believe.  Previous statements made it clear that he spoke as one with a mission from God.  Perhaps he had not explicitly said he was the Messiah (except to the Samaritan woman), but it should have been clear either from his statements or from the evidence of his whole way of life, including the signs he had given—all clearly done in his Father’s name.

The works he has done are a consistent testimony of his true origins:

… but you do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep.

He then lists the characteristics of true sheep or followers:

My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.

And, as we have said elsewhere, to “hear” in the Gospel means:

  to listen

  to understand

  to assimilate fully into one’s own thinking

  to carry out what one hears.

To these disciples, he gives:

…eternal life, and they will never perish.

The security of the sheep is in the power of the Shepherd, and no one will snatch them from his hand.  And that is because they have been given to him by the Father, whose power is greater than any enemy.

Finally, in a clear and unequivocal answer to their original challenge, he tells his questioners:

The Father and I are one.*

The power that the Son has is the same as the Father’s.  This is not an unequivocal statement of divinity but points in that direction.  And Jesus’ listeners hear it in that way.

________________________________
*Significantly the Greek text actually translates to “one thing”, i.e. neuter gender, and does not say “one person”. The Father and Son, with the Holy Spirit, are one in essence or nature (i.e. consubstantial), but distinct as Persons.

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Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Easter Time

Opening Prayer

Lord God, our Father,

the Spirit of Jesus calls us, as he called your Son, to abandon our old selves and our old world to be free for new life and growth. Forgive us our fear and hesitations,

lead us out of our worn-out phrases and habits, and our self-made certainties, steep us in the gospel of your Son, that his good news may become credible in our times and our world.

We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Gospel Reading - John 10: 22-30

It was the time of the feast of Dedication in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in the Portico of Solomon. The Jews gathered round him and said, 'How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us openly.'

Jesus replied: I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost, and no one will ever steal them from my hand. The Father, for what he has given me, is greater than anyone, and no one can steal anything from the Father's hand. The Father and I are one.

Reflection

Chapters one to twelve of the Gospel of John are called “The Book of Signs.” In these chapters we have the progressive revelation of the Mystery of God in Jesus. In the measure in which Jesus makes this revelation, adherence and opposition grow around him according to the vision or idea which each one has of the coming of the Messiah. This way of describing the activity of Jesus does not only serve to inform how adherence to Jesus took place at that time, but also and above all, how this should take place in us today, his readers. At that time, all expected the coming of the Messiah and they had their criteria of how to recognize him. They wanted him to be like they imagined that he should be. But Jesus does not submit himself to that requirement. He reveals the Father as the Father is and not as his listeners would want him to be. He asks for conversion in the way of thinking and of acting. Today, also, each one of us has his/her own likes and own preferences. Sometimes we read the Gospel to see if we find in it a confirmation of our desires. Todays Gospel presents some light concerning this.

      John 10: 22-24: The Jews question Jesus. It was cold; it was the month of October. It was the Feast of the dedication which celebrated the purification of the temple done by Judah Maccabee (2 M 4: 36, 59). It was a very popular Feast with much light. Jesus was out on the square of the Temple, in the Portico of Solomon. The Jews said: "How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us openly.” They wanted Jesus to define himself and that they could verify, according to their own criteria, if Jesus was or was not the Messiah. They wanted some proofs. It is the attitude of the one who feels that he dominates the situation. The new ones must present their credentials. Otherwise, they have no right to speak or to act.

      John 10: 25-26: Response of Jesus: the works that I do are my witness. The response of Jesus is always the same: “I have told you, but you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine.” It is not a question of giving proofs. It would be useless. When a person does not want to accept the witness of someone, there is no proof which is valid and which will lead the person to change and think differently. The basic problem is the disinterested openness of the person toward God and toward truth. Where this openness exists, Jesus is recognized by his sheep. “The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice.” Jesus will say these words before Pilate (Jn 18: 37). The Pharisees lacked this openness.

      John 10: 27-28: My sheep listen to my voice. Jesus repeats the parable of the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep and they know him. This mutual understanding – between Jesus who comes in the name of the Father and the persons who open themselves to truth – is the source of eternal life. This union between the Creator and the creature through Jesus exceeds every threat of death: “They will never be lost, and no one will ever steal them from my hand!” They are safe and secure, and, because of this, they are in peace and enjoy full freedom.

      John 10: 29-30: The Father and I are one. These two verses refer to the mystery of the union between Jesus and the Father: “The Father, for what he has given me, is greater than anyone, and no one can steal anything from my Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” These and other phrases make us guess or have a glimpse at something of the greatest mystery: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14: 9). “The Father is in me and I am in the Father” (Jn 10: 38). This union between Jesus and the Father is not something automatic, but rather it is the fruit of obedience: “I always do what pleases my Father” (Jn 8: 29; 6: 38; 17: 4). “My food is to do the will of the Father” (Jn 4: 34; 5: 30). The Letter to the Hebrews says that Jesus learnt obedience from the things that he suffered (Heb 5: 8). “He was obedient until death and death on the Cross” (Ph 2: 8). The obedience of Jesus is not a disciplinary one, but rather it was prophetic. He obeys in order to be total transparency and, thus, to be the revelation of the Father. Because of this, he could say: “The Father and I are one!” It was a long process of obedience and of incarnation which lasted 33 years. It began with Mary’s YES (Lk 1: 38) and ended with: “It is all fulfilled!” (Jn 19: 30).

Personal Questions

      Is my obedience to God, disciplinary or prophetic? Do I reveal something of God or am I only concerned about my own salvation?

      Jesus does not submit himself to the exigencies of those who want to verify if he is the Messiah. In me, is there something of this attitude of dominion and of inquiry of the enemies of Jesus?

Concluding Prayer

May God show kindness and bless us and make his face shine on us.

Then the earth will acknowledge your ways, and all nations your power to save. (Ps 67: 2-3)

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