Tuesday, May 13, 2003
4th Week of Easter

1st Reading: Acts 11:19-26
Gospel: Jn 10:22-30

The time came for the feast of the Dedication. It was winter and Jesus walked back and forth in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in doubt? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I have already told you but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name proclaim who I am, but you don't believe because, as I said, you are not my sheep.

"My sheep hear my voice and I know them; they follow me and I give them eternal life. They shall never perish and no one will ever steal them from me. What the Father has given me is stronger than everything and no one can snatch it from the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

Commentary

The Temple was a visible sign to the Jews of God's presence among them. It stood in Jerusalem as a reminder that God has chosen them as his people. They belong to him, and in a way, He belongs to them. One winter day, Jesus boldly challenged those claims, in the Temple, and on the feast that celebrates the Temple's rededication after pagan desecration. He proclaimed a new way of belonging to God who is now Father: becoming Jesus' disciple. To be in the hand of Jesus is to be in the hand of the Father. And that hand is more powerful than any other and so no one can snatch away the disciples from its hold. There the disciples are safe... warm... even on wintry days... forever.

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