20150426 Easter 4 B

From the first reading we hear: “then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, … There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”
What does it mean to be “saved”? It means to become Children of God.
John, the Apostle, wrote: “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are.”
Joyce Ann Zimmerman wrote: “As human beings we have a hard time being faithful about loving. The whole Easter mystery reveals to us how utterly faithful God is in loving us.” God loves us because he created us and wants us to follow him. Throughout history, the children of Israel turned away from God time and time again. Yet God still loved them and had mercy on them when they repented of their sins and offered the appropriate sacrifices. Jesus came to end that. Jesus became the last sacrifice so we could become Children of God through him.
God’s love is profound and eternal. It is always there for us if we only accept it. We ask God to forgive us and let his love flow over and in us so we can be a channel of his love to the world around us. We must live today just as the Apostles did in the Early Church.
Jesus said “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.” The Apostle Paul was commissioned to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. There were many sheep within the Gentiles and Paul preached Jesus crucified and risen from the dead to all of them.
Deacon Greg Kandra from the Archdiocese of New York was recently with a group of American religious bloggers who met with Mayor Akel Biltaji of Amman Jordan. When asked about the importance of religious acceptance the mayor said: “What is so unique about us here is acceptance. It’s not tolerance. Tolerance is a bit condescending, you know? That’s not coexistence. What matters is acceptance. Once you accept, you find yourself falling into taking the other in and being taken in, too, by the other. Once you surrender to that, that’s how things should be.”
Acceptance – not tolerance. How profound! Jesus said “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.” There will be one flock – acceptance. Regardless of their age, their status in society, their wealth, their color, their differences from us; Jesus said they will hear my voice and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
God created all of us; each of us as a unique person. With all of our idiosyncrasies and differences, our dreams and hopes, our thoughtlessness and failures; we are all Children of God. John the Apostle said “Yet so we are.” Yes we are children of God. Do we follow the Good Shepherd Jesus?
John Kavanaugh wrote: Must the power of his name be constrained by our own hearing of it? Are our sacraments, our words, and our teachings the required condition for salvation, or are they the signs of the salvation Jesus has already won for us?
JESUS –”There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” The sacraments of the Church must be signs of our faith and not our faith itself. Our faith must show in how we live our lives; it must show in how we serve others with the love that comes from God.
One of the ways that we show our love for others is our gift to the Annual Catholic Appeal. This year’s Annual Catholic Appeal has us reflect upon A Future Full of Hope: Passion for our Faith, Promise for our Future, Care for our Community, and Love for our Family. And yet so we are – Children of God. Please prayerfully consider giving to the needs of our Archdiocese as we conduct the 2015 Annual Catholic Appeal.
The Catholic Appeal supports the 28 Seminarians that we so desperately need to provide priests for our parishes. In addition, it provides for the retired priests and their medical needs after they have dedicated their lives to serving the church. It provides funding for Catholic schools, faith formation for all ages and the Northwest Catholic magazine that is delivered to every Catholic home in the Archdiocese.
Through the Appeal, Catholic Community Services provides help to over 108,000 individuals. It also supports the 11 high schools and 63 elementary schools serving over 22,253 students in the Archdiocese.
Cultural and ethnic ministries made possible by the Appeal provide an opportunity for people to worship in their native language. Your generous donation makes all of this possible. Archbishop Sartain said that our support is essential to the church’s mission. Without you, there would be no church.
You have received a letter from Archbishop Sartain and Father Jay explaining the Future Full of Hope Annual Appeal. Please give generously from the blessings God has given us. If you are unable to give anything this year, please help us by marking zero in the Total Pledge section of the Annual Catholic Appeal card. That will save the cost of mailing reminders to return the pledge card. Even if we are unable to support the Annual Appeal financially, we can all support our ministries with our prayers.
If you are able to increase your commitment from last year, it will help fill in for those who are unable to give in these difficult economic times. If each of us could give just one dollar a day, it would help us as God’s Children to reach out to those who are in need.
Please take a moment with me and prayerfully complete the card now and drop it in the offering basket. Thank you for your support of the Annual Catholic Appeal and the people who are touched by the many ministries of the church. Thank you for joining other Catholics in Western Washington to provide a Future Full of Hope to others.