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May 03

Bishop’s Message for the 4th Sunday of Easter

  • May 3, 2020

Greetings in the name of Christ! Thank you for letting me come into your place.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus continues a conversation that began with the man he gave sight to. The man was rejected by his own afterwards. There was disbelief. But Jesus spoke about a flock that was open to many through Him. Although it is from verse one to ten, please let me read you the last 3 verses.

The Holy Gospel According to St. John the 10th chapter.

Glory to you, oh Lord!

“Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

The Gospel of our Lord!

Praise to you, oh Christ.

Grace and peace are yours from God our Father, and His Son our Lord. Amen.
Gates and doors have a few roles in our lives. It is through them that we come in and go out. It is through them that friends and service people come in and out. A well-locked gate or door prevents unwanted people coming in or out, depending on the purpose of the facility.
We find ourselves using our doors less often during this pandemic. We go out less, and fewer people come in. We are depending on the safety of our homes to keep us protected from the virus. On the other hand, some people are desperate to end the isolation in order to go back to making a living. Many businesses are suffering financially, and with them, many families, too.
We read Jesus’ words saying that, going through Him, people can find pasture. In other words, we can find wholesome nourishment through him. But please be careful! We are not saying that, because we are Jesus’ followers, we can go out and nothing bad will happen to us. NO! God has given us intelligence to be wise and choose what is best for each one of us. Some people, as soon as they are able, will go out carefully, keeping the new norms of social distancing and hygiene. They will go out for essential matters, while others will continue to stay inside knowing that their immunological systems may be compromised, and it is not worth the risk, even when they feel great.
As we are inside, as safe as we can be, the physical door is not the only way people come into our homes. At the beginning of this reflection I thanked you for letting me come into your home. We might hear that same thanks from TV presenters, radio announcers, and so on. We have the choice of who we let into our lives and our minds with their words. All of our electronic devices have a “on and off” switch. We can move from one channel to another. We can jump into our newsfeed on Facebook or YouTube and choose which videos to watch or posts to read.

We must prayerfully select what is best and where we might find that spiritual pasture, where can we listen to Jesus, and find words that comfort and challenge us to be kind, merciful and do justice even in our seclusion. By nurturing our relationship with Christ, we can get better at listening.

In our Gospel today we read words of Jesus, saying, “All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them.” So, we as God’s sheep have the ability to choose who comes into our homes, and to not listen to those who make us worry. There are voices that tell us not to follow health protocols, and others that encourage us to give up. There are the voices of media, religious people, politicians, neighbors, and family. Some are discouraging and depressing; others bring rational hope. Which voices are you letting into your life in this digital era?

Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” No matter where you are or who you are with, Jesus’ voice is the one that brings life abundantly, even when our bodies are broken.

That is good news! Amen.

Let us pray,

Good Shepherd, may we always go in and out through you. Help us discern what to hear and when is enough. Thank you for your divine providence. We pray for those that are hurting and hungry because of this pandemic. Let us be a channel of your grace to help others. We commend ourselves to you as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the + Holy Spirit. Amen.

Until next time stay with God’s blessing,

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord’s face shine on you with grace and mercy.

The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace!  Amen

+ Bp. Pedro

The Rev. Pedro M. Suarez, Bishop

Florida-Bahamas Synod, ELCA

 

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