Sunday Homily, May 11, 2014, 4th Easter, Cycle A
Readings:
Acts 2, 14, 36-41, About 3 thousand people were added that day.
Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd (a good one)
1 Peter 2, 20-25, When he was insulted, he returned no insult.
John 10, 1-10, The shepherd calls his own sheep by name.
A reminder on Acts:
What : The second half of Luke’s work, the first part being his gospel. Acts starts after the Resurrection. We will read Acts all through May and read the last selection June 1, then June 7, Pentecost. The work focuses on the spread of the early church with special attention given to Peter and Paul and their conflicts over who was to be a Christian, and Jewish laws, like circumcision. The conversion of Paul is described.
Who: Luke, an educated and civilized Jew who wrote in Greek.
Date: around the year 65, or about 30 years after Jesus’ death.
Our Selection: Peter is just trying to convince his listeners to sign up.
Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd. One of the good ones.
Me, a Shepherd ? No Way !
In honor of Mothers' Day today I would like to talk about the Good Shepherd. Instead of focusing on the way the scripture paints a portrait of the in group and the out group, I would like to focus on the fact that there is only the in group. We are all in it. Plus, we are called to be shepherds. The story of the day comes again from our visit in France a month ago.
In Paris Rosemary & I have a favorite little pedestrian only street called Rue Cler. It is in the same neighborhood as the Eiffel Tower and on the left bank of the Seine River. There is a small cross street called Champs de Mars. The street eventually goes to the park by the same name where the Eiffel Tower is situated. Our little hotel, Champs de Mars, is on the street.
Two of the corners formed by Rue Cler and Rue Champs de Mars have cafes where the tables and chairs spill delightedly out onto the two streets. One of the corners has a little grocery and the fourth corner has a deli, bakery combination. The deli is open on the two street sides.
Rosemary & I went there one afternoon to buy something for our two o’clock lunch-dinner.
There are two counters facing Rue Cler, both containing all sorts of bakery goods and deli specialties.
We go up to the first counter, look around a bit, and then ask the woman for some quiche and maybe a ham & cheese sandwich. The young woman who is about 35 and attractive with olive skin and brown hair acts somewhat impatient and brusque.
She gives us what we want and we go to the second counter where the cash register is to pay another woman who could be the first woman’s twin sister.
This young woman is even more impatient and even rude. We depart and Rosemary says, “I wish I had told her, ‘Don’t talk to me like that!’” Don’t get New York Rosemary mad.
So I lied that second Sunday of Easter when I told you we had never met rudeness in France. This was the first time.
We were talking about it later that evening when I decided I would return and let them know how we felt. I memorized a little two sentence statement in French, so I would not get tongue tied, and we returned at 7:00.
I walk up to the second woman still at the cash register and when she sees me she immediately says, “We are closed.” Twice. And immediately sells a baguette to a guy who had walked up just behind me. I decide I will wait, when suddenly I saw the other woman.
I walk over to her, say I would like to have a word, and make my little speech. I say, “We just bought your food here this afternoon. It was excellent. However, I am sad, because for the first time in all my years coming to Parish, this is the first time I met two people who were impolite.”
She is all apologetic and asks, “Who?” “You,” I say. And still she was apologetic. I told her I accepted her apology, thanked her, and left feeling pretty happy.
I know not what bad experiences with Americans or men or poor French speakers they had had in their lives. I do know the girls had moms and maybe they are moms.
Even though the girls were impatient with Rosemary and me, I propose that these two women are part of the shepherd’s group and that, in fact, all of us, everyone is part of the shepherd’s group. Some people in the group are more wounded and brainwashed. Their hurt leaks out in their behavior. Are the Boko Haram people, the Nigerians who kidnapped the girls, are they part of the group? Yes. I have lived in Nigeria and I know how brutal it can be.
Despite the in and out quality of the good shepherd scriptures, I propose that all of us here are part of the group. We are blessed because we have had good secondary shepherds in our lives, good moms, teachers, coaches, friends, and fellow community members.
We are, also, definitely called to shepherd others.
Who and How?