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Daily Readings for:April 26, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, lead us to a share in the joys of heaven, so that the humble flock may reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

o Spring or Summer Sunday Dinner (Sample Menu)

ACTIVITIES

o Can Catholic Parents Thwart a Religious Vocation?

PRAYERS

o Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life

o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Easter Season (2nd Plan)

o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Easter (1st Plan)

o Serran Prayer for Vocations

· Easter: April 26th

· Fourth Sunday of Easter

Old Calendar: Third Sunday after Easter

I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep (Jn 10:11-15).

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles 4:8-12. This excerpt is a sequence of what was described in last Sunday's first reading. Peter had cured a cripple-from-birth and told the people that it was not by his own power that he did this, but through the power of Jesus of Nazareth, whom the Jews had crucified.

The second reading is from the first Letter of John 3:1-2 in which he sets out in a couple of sentences the basic effect of the Incarnation. Already in this life men are made children of God. Because we are God's children here below we shall see him as he is in the future life.

The Gospel is from St. John 10:11-18. The image of Christ as our Good Shepherd has always appealed to human nature. One of the earliest paintings of Christ in the Roman catacombs represents him as carrying an injured sheep on his shoulders. This is a manifestation of love which touches our innermost feelings. We do not mind being likened to sheep in this context. There is something guileless about a sheep, and at the same time a lot of foolishness. Does not this describe the vast majority of men, even many of those who openly oppose Christ? Is there not something very sheeplike about the man who, because God gave him a limited intellect, thinks he knows all things and needs no further help from God? The sheep who thinks it knows as much, and even more, than the shepherd and sets out to fend for itself, is no more foolish than the man who thinks he can do without God's revelation and God's Church.

Indeed we all act like sheep on many occasions, when it comes to the things that concern our spiritual welfare. We often ramble off from the flock to nibble at little bits of forbidden pasture. However, we have a Shepherd who understands us, one whose patience and love are infinite. He is always ready to go after us when we stray too far; his voice is constantly reaching out to us in missions, retreats, sicknesses, crosses and other various ways. How many times have we already felt his loving grace calling and helping us back to the safety of his fold?

There are many who are not so fortunate as we, who either through no fault of their own or through their own fault do not hear his voice and do not know or follow him. This is an opportunity he gives us to show how we appreciate all he has done for us. He died on the cross for all men. He wills all men to profit by his death, and his statement "them also I must bring" is a direct appeal to us to cooperate with him in this work. Every Christian is a missionary. The very fact of living the Christian life in its entirety, in the midst of our fellowmen, is of itself a powerful example to outsiders. It influences for good the lax Christian and the non-Christian. It makes them stop and think and look into their consciences. This is generally the first step on the road back to God.

The devout Christian will not stop at good example only. If he truly loves God, he must truly love his neighbor and must want him to have a share in his own good fortune. He knows there is welcome and room in heaven for all men, and he knows that the greater the number there the greater will be God's eternal glory. He will strive then by every available means to help his neighbor into Christ's fold.

After good example, prayer will be his most potent weapon. Day in, day out the devout Christian must pray for the conversion of his fellowmen who are wandering aimlessly in the barren desert of this life far from God. He must also learn all he can about the truths of his faith in order to be able to help honest enquirers. He must also cooperate with any parochial or diocesan societies for the propagation of the faith, insofar as his family and financial state allow him.

The sermon preached by our Savior nearly two thousand years ago is still echoing and re-echoing around the world, calling on his faithful flock to do all in their power to help those other children of God who are still outside the fold. Do not shut your ears to this call of Christ today. Give him a helping hand by helping your fellowman to see the light of the true faith.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: John 10:11-18

4th Sunday of Easter

I am the good shepherd. (John 10:11)

This is the fourth of seven “I am” declarations that Jesus makes about himself in the Gospel of John. In other ones, Jesus says that he is the bread of life, the light of the world, the resurrection and the life, the gate, the true vine, the way, and the door. Each of these declarations tells us something unique about Jesus and who he is as the Son of God.

Using the simple analogy of sheep and their shepherd, Jesus is telling us something central to our life of faith. Like a shepherd, he leads us, feeds us, protects us, and saves us from death. But there’s one mystery that this statement—or any of the others—doesn’t answer: why does God have such unending and boundless love for us?

The answer to this question is both simple and profound. God is love. It’s who he is. He can’t stop loving us. We are his children, and he will always care for us. He loves us so much, in fact, that he asked his Son to leave his heavenly home, take on a human body, and lay down his life for us.

Now risen in glory and enthroned with his Father, Jesus still cares more about us than he cares about himself. Like a good shepherd, he guides us to safety, restores our strength, and anoints us with his grace (Psalm 23). He is the “shepherd and guardian” of our souls (1 Peter 2:25). He is the “great shepherd” who gives his all to his sheep (Hebrews 13:20).

Jesus knows that his sheep are defenseless against the temptations of Satan, the “thief” who wants to steal, kill, and destroy us (John 10:10). He wants us to know it as well, so that we will cling to him and follow him like faithful, innocent sheep. Aren’t you glad that God is so faithful toward you? Today in prayer, tell the Lord how grateful you are. Tell him that you want to follow him wherever he leads.

“Jesus, you are my good shepherd. Come, Lord, and keep me safe.”

Acts 4:8-12; Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28-29; 1 John 3:1-2

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

Mass Readings:
1st Reading: Acts 4:8-12
Responsorial: Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 29
2nd Reading: 1 John 3:1-2
Gospel: John 10:11-18

1. In the first reading, Peter tells “the people and the elders” that it is in “the name of Jesus Christ” that “this man stands before you healed.” Why do you believe there is power in the name of Jesus, especially when we pray, and do you believe this power is available to us today? Have there been any times when you prayed for someone or something in the name of Jesus, and God answered your prayers?

2. In the first reading, Peter also says that there is no “other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” What do these words mean to you?

3. In the Responsorial Psalm, our response is “The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.” As Christians, each of us is called to make Jesus Christ the cornerstone of our life, even when we are immersed in the busyness of our day? What steps can you take to make this call a greater reality?

4. The second reading exalts in the love the Father has bestowed on us (“lavished on us” in another translation). So much so that we can now be called “children of God.” How much time do you spend talking to God, your Father, in prayer during the week? Knowing that you are his beloved child, are there some steps you can take to spend more time in prayer with him?

5. In the Gospel, Jesus reveals himself as the Good Shepherd, who knows each one of us, and who gives his life for us. What experiences in your life can you say have been examples of how Christ was the “Good Shepherd” for you in a difficult time?

6. Jesus also goes on to say that not only does he “know mine” but “mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.” What do these words mean to you and how can you make them a greater reality in your Christian walk?

7. In the meditation, these questions are posed to us: “Why does God have such unending and boundless love for us?” and ““Aren’t you glad that God is so faithful toward you? How would you answer these questions, and how can your answers have a greater impact on how you live your life each day?

8. Take some time now to pray and thank the Lord for being the good and faithful shepherd who lays down his life for us, and watches over us and keeps us safe. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.