25/04/2010 – 4 Sunday in Easter Season - C

World Day Prayer for Vocations

1Reading Act 13,14.43-52 Psalm 99 2Reading Rev 7,9.14-17 Gospel Jn 10,27-30

“And none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled”. Jesus has kept his disciples “in the name” of the Father, hence they are saved. Here Jesus is referring to the big question mark of evil that ruins men and had succeeded to seduce even one of his disciples. Jesus doesn’t feel guilty that Jude had abandoned him and the Church. He loved him as he loved the other disciples, and he even made him witness of his miracles and listener of his wisdom. He had welcomed him as part of his joys and difficult moments, or his work and satisfactions. What happened to the heart of Jude to have hold more to money, as more important, than to end the last supper with Jesus and the other apostles and share his life with him? The Gospel says: Satan had already possessed him! Jesus defines him with a Jewish expression “son of perdition”: meaning that he is lost, that his life, far away from Jesus, is far away from the true life, that he had lost hope in life eternal and the banquet of the kingdom of heaven. Scriptures speak of this fact. They tell the story of the hatred that the brothers of Joseph, son of Jacob, and how he was sold for a little money: in different ways this and other facts have for seen the death and the exaltation of the Lord. The Psalms speak too of the traitor of Jesus when it is said: “Even the friend in whom I have trusted, even he, that ate my bread, had turned against me”. These words were fulfilled in disciple and apostle Jude Iscariot. Neither Jesus, nor the evangelist, are surprised by what Scripture proclaims and are not scandalized for the fact that they happened. They don’t put problems like we do. God does not want evil, even though he knows that it might happen. The act by which Jude prefers the money for Jesus is clearly condemned: he himself, when he saw that Jesus was handed to Pilate, repents of what he had done. Repents but does not humble himself to ask for forgiveness: this is even worst, and because of this he is called: “son of perdition”.

St. John continues to help us enjoy moments of heavenly life: gives up his vision of heaven. There the Lamb receives glory from a great multitude. This multitude is formed of all those who remained faithful here on earth, so faithful, that they preferred to die than to reject him. These too are in glory, living permanently in a state of joy and fullness that here we are not able to imagine. “God will wipe out every tear off their eyes”: these words explain the blessings they enjoy, after having suffered different persecutions while on earth. Of these persecutions even the Book of the Apostles speaks, that tells us about a moment from the first missionary journey of st. Paul. Paul, after his conversion and a time of long silence and reflection, was sent by the community of Antioch to proclaim the Gospel. Along with Barnabas, a prudent and wise man, and “full of the Holy Spirit”, arrived in Antioch of Pisidy, a city that is found between the mountain in the south west of Turkey. Many, in particular pagans, rejoiced in the Gospel that was proclaimed to them. But even here the jealousy of the Jews succeeded to raise against them a persecution, to the point that they had to run away and find refuge in Iconium. This persecution was not a failure for them, they knew better that their Lord, Jesus Christ, died on a cross. They knew that what they were proclaiming was not only news to be spread, but a mystery/experience to be shared. Men are saved by the cross of Jesus, and therefore they are to share in his sufferings with joy. In this way, even they see the value of their own existence in God, who saves men from the deceit of the evil one. The evil one makes one believe that we are to save ourselves at all costs. We are his disciples, or as Jesus says in today’s Gospel, we are his sheep. As sheep of his fold, we are to listen to him and follow in his footsteps. What does this pays? He gives us life eternal, and therefore the struggles and the pains that cost to follow him, are to be endured with love and joy.

Even today, Christians are laughed at, set apart, brought to silence. In different parts of the world they are being persecuted and killed. Are we surprised? In different moments in history, it happened even to our ancestors; some of us can remember still martyrs of our own times.

From today’s Word we receive encouragement to remain faithful to Jesus, fearing nothing and no one, on the contrary, with love: his blessing is sure and eternal!