Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Tuesday of the fourth week of Easter, May 13, 2025

Delivered by Ariel from the Parish of Saint Albert the Great in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 11: 19-26; Rs psalm 87: 1-3.4-5.6-7; John 10: 22-30.THE SHEEP SCATTER, BUT STILL WITH ONESHEPHERD         Our meditation today is entitled: Thesheep Scatter, But Still with One Shepherd. When the shepherd loves the smellof all sheep, there is a fact that the unity of God's people is made by thescattered individuals and communities of believers everywhere in the world, andall of these put their faith in Jesus Christ as the center of their lives. Heis the Shepherd for all. All children of God identify themselveswith Jesus Christ as the Lord who shepherds them day and night. This identification has its beginning, which was themoment for the first time the word "Christian" being used about thetime after Christ rose from the dead, or more precisely after the conversion ofSaint Paul. A prominent figure and disciple of the Lord named Barnabas whoworked in a team with the apostle Paul and the Church in Antioch were the firstones to use this identification. Along with the growth of the Church, thisChristian name spread from one place to another to reach the entire world.Throughout the world, all the followers of Christ with various backgroundsidentify themselves with this name "Christian". According to Saint Ignatius of Antioch,who was once the bishop of the city, where there is a Christian community,somewhere in or outside the city, and as this community is led by a bishop asits shepherd, this Christian community is called Catholic. The Catholics areeverywhere found on this earth both as individuals and as families orcommunities. When they meet somewhere  in any context of life, with or without external symbols such as crucifix orthe rosary used, there is always a sense of unity, togetherness, andconnectedness with one another that is felt and manifested. The hearts of thesame faith can connect easily and they feel the needfor unity. For example, a priest told his ownexperience about meeting a Catholic during one of his trips abroad. When he wasat the airpot of Dubai, the Middle East, waiting for the transit plane, he hada chance to meet someone from Russia who is a Catholic. Their conversationdeveloped into a friendship. The Russian man then humbly asked for confessionand blessing, saying that he badly needed some spiritual power at thatparticular moment of his life. When seeing an athlete makes the sign of thecross while playing on the field, viewers around the world spontaneously makesort of a Catholic connection with the player. These are just few examples tounderstand that the word "Catholic" indeed has a universal value anda unifying force . The spread of the followers of Christeverywhere in the world does not endanger the fact that people are different ormay harm unity in the community. Instead it strengthens relationand connection among the Catholics because Jesus Christ himself holds the unityof this community to His heart and He himself leads the community. There aretwo statements of Jesus today that signify His duty to protect and lead all thesheep. First is this: "I know them and they follow me". This iscertainly not just a matter of having knowledge of another person, but itspeaks about the dynamic of life between the Shepherd and the flock. Second isthis: "No one can take them from My hands". Jesus Christ indeed takescontrolls over all His sheep. His duty is to save all.  Let's pray. In the name of the Father... Lord Jesus Christ, we Your followers want to remain faithful and obedientto You, because this is the way that we remain united and strong. Stay and bewith us, Lord Jesus. Hail Mary full ofgrace ... In the name of the Father ...