The Good Shepherd

                    4th Sunday of Easter

                  A cycle

 

 

 

In the Sundays after Easter the readings usually give us testimony or witness to the Resurrection of the Lord. Two Sundays ago we had the touching account of doubting Thomas. Last Sunday, we heard about the appearance of the Risen Lord to the disciples at Emmaus. They recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. 

 

In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter stands up in front of a congregation much like ours and proceeds to discuss the implications of the Resurrection.

 

“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain

That God has made both Lord and Christ

This Jesus whom you crucified.”

 

One way for us to understand the word of God is to try and put ourselves in the picture whenever we hear the word proclaimed. Although Peter is speaking to the congregation of Jews in front of him, we should consider that he is also speaking to us. He died for all of us and He was raised from the dead for all of us as Peter reminds us:

 

“For the promise is made to you and your children

And to all those far off,

Whomever the Lord our God will call.”

 

The word call should remind us of today’s gospel about the Good Shepherd. “The sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” What does it mean to hear the voice of the Lord? Most of us are never going to experience a mystical one-on-one calling. Maybe we should rather focus on what Jesus actually said and did as recorded in our Scriptures. Where was our shepherd leading us? 

 

We know that he was a healer of both body and soul and he continually urged us to follow his example. He told us to love one another and our neighbor as ourselves. In a famous chapter in the Gospel of St. Matthew, he told us that whenever we fed the hungry, or clothed the naked, or visited the sick, we were doing it for Him. 

 

Today is often called Good Shepherd Sunday. The responsorial psalm is taken from Psalm 23: “the Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. But in a way Jesus asks us to follow his example and not just be sheep but shepherds to the little flock entrusted to our own care. I know that Mother’s Day is celebrated next month, and there can be no better example of good shepherds in our midst than our own mothers. When we were young, we knew this instinctively. We followed our mother’s advice and guidance and went to them for shelter and protection. Little did we realize how much they suffered and bore so that we might live and prosper. 

 

In today’s second reading Peter again speaks of those who have been called to follow the example of Christ. The words especially apply to all mothers.

 

For to this you have been called,

Because Christ also suffered for you.

Leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.

 

All over the world today mothers are suffering for their children both young and old. We don’t often think of women as shepherds but the words that Peter spoke of Jesus could apply to most mothers. When they are insulted, they return no insult. When they suffer, they do not threaten. They patiently bear their children’s faults and imperfections in the hope that they might find happiness. And when their children go astray, they pray for them, search for them, and hope for their safe return.

 

###

Note: In the  image from a stained glass window in Our Lady of the Assumption church in Fairfield, Connecticut, Jesus hands the shepherd's staff to Peter and tells him to "feed my sheep."

Reading 1.Acts 2: 14a, 36-41

Reading II. 1 Peter 2: 20b-25

Gospel. John 10: 1-10 (good shepherd)

Good Shepherd

                        4th Sunday of Easter

                      B cycle

 

 

 

In the Sundays after Easter the readings usually give us testimony or witness to the Resurrection of the Lord. Two Sundays ago we had the touching account of doubting Thomas. Last week Jesus appeared to the Apostles in the upper room and ate with them. The readings today also deal with the Resurrection of Jesus and its significance.

 

As usual after Easter, the first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles and records the aftermath of the healing of a paralyzed man by Peter. It is really striking that shortly after the Resurrection, Peter was able to perform deeds very similar to those of Jesus. In this case the miraculous cure prompts the authorities to bring Peter in for questioning. They want to know by what means the man was healed. Peter explains,

 

All of you and all the people of Israel should know

That it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean

Whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead;

In his name this man stands before you healed.

                                                          

Peter claims no special or divine-like power for himself. He was only acting in the name of Jesus, or to put it another way, he was just doing what the Lord had instructed him to do. 

 

In today’s gospel Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd. St. John records these words of Jesus even before his crucifixion and Resurrection.

 

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.

 

These words of Jesus bring to mind a meeting between Jesus and Peter after the Resurrection. You may recall that on that occasion Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” When Peter replied, “Lord, you know I love you,” Jesus told him to “feed my sheep.” The gospel tells us that Jesus asked the question three times, and each time Peter was told to take care of his flock just like a good shepherd. In my own parish of Our Lady of the Assumption in Fairfield, CT a small stained glass window actually depicts Jesus handing a shepherd’s staff or crook to Peter.

 

I know that many of us can identify with the sheep but Jesus is asking us to act like good shepherds for our own little flock. He was certainly aware that there would be many bad shepherds that would desert the flock in time of need. He spoke of hirelings who work only for pay and have no concern for the sheep. They only have their own interests at heart.

 

We can see these bad shepherds all around us today. Can anyone believe that a politician puts us ahead of their own self-interest and career? When entertainers and athletes get paid millions to endorse products, can we really believe they care for us. When TV celebrities and commentators put spin on practically everything they say, can we really believe that they would give up their lives for us? Sadly, many religious leaders, both high and low, seem to put themselves before the flocks they are supposed to serve.

 

Years ago, I read a self-help book that had sold over a million copies. The popular author argued that people should use anger to cure themselves. When things went wrong, he urged his readers to look back into their past and find others to blame, especially their parents. If you could understand that your predicament was caused by your parents, either through neglect or abuse, then your anger against them would heal you. The author probably became a millionaire as a result of his book but I doubt if his advice actually helped anyone.

 

Today is often called Good Shepherd Sunday. For most of us the best shepherds have been our parents. Who else ever gave up their lives for us? For most of us our parents were the first sign of God’s love for us. In today’s second reading from the first letter of John, we hear,

 

See what love the Father has bestowed on us

That we may be called the children of God.

 

###

Reading 1. Acts 4: 8-12

Reading II. 1 John 3: 1-2

Gospel. John 10: 11-18 (good shepherd)

The Good Shepherd

                    4th Sunday of Easter

                  A cycle

 

 

 

Feed My Sheep

In the Sundays after Easter the readings usually give us testimony or witness to the Resurrection of the Lord. Two Sundays ago we had the touching account of doubting Thomas. Last Sunday, we heard about the appearance of the Risen Lord to the disciples at Emmaus. They recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. 

 

In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter stands up in front of a congregation much like ours and proceeds to discuss the implications of the Resurrection.

 

“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain

That God has made both Lord and Christ

This Jesus whom you crucified.”

 

One way for us to understand the word of God is to try and put ourselves in the picture whenever we hear the word proclaimed. Although Peter is speaking to the congregation of Jews in front of him, we should consider that he is also speaking to us. He died for all of us and He was raised from the dead for all of us as Peter reminds us:

 

“For the promise is made to you and your children

And to all those far off,

Whomever the Lord our God will call.”

 

The word call should remind us of today’s gospel about the Good Shepherd. “The sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” What does it mean to hear the voice of the Lord? Most of us are never going to experience a mystical one-on-one calling. Maybe we should rather focus on what Jesus actually said and did as recorded in our Scriptures. Where was our shepherd leading us? 

 

We know that he was a healer of both body and soul and he continually urged us to follow his example. He told us to love one another and our neighbor as ourselves. In a famous chapter in the Gospel of St. Matthew, he told us that whenever we fed the hungry, or clothed the naked, or visited the sick, we were doing it for Him. 

 

Today is often called Good Shepherd Sunday. The responsorial psalm is taken from Psalm 23: “the Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. But in a way Jesus asks us to follow his example and not just be sheep but shepherds to the little flock entrusted to our own care. I know that Mother’s Day is celebrated next month, and there can be no better example of good shepherds in our midst than our own mothers. When we were young, we knew this instinctively. We followed our mother’s advice and guidance and went to them for shelter and protection. Little did we realize how much they suffered and bore so that we might live and prosper. 

 

In today’s second reading Peter again speaks of those who have been called to follow the example of Christ. The words especially apply to all mothers.

 

For to this you have been called,

Because Christ also suffered for you.

Leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.

 

All over the world today mothers are suffering for their children both young and old. We don’t often think of women as shepherds but the words that Peter spoke of Jesus could apply to most mothers. When they are insulted, they return no insult. When they suffer, they do not threaten. They patiently bear their children’s faults and imperfections in the hope that they might find happiness. And when their children go astray, they pray for them, search for them, and hope for their safe return.

 

###

Reading 1.Acts 2: 14a, 36-41

Reading II. 1 Peter 2: 20b-25

Gospel. John 10: 1-10 (good shepherd)

The Good Shepherd

                        4th Sunday of Easter

                     

 

 

In the Sundays after Easter the readings usually give us testimony or witness to the Resurrection of the Lord. Two Sundays ago we had the touching account of doubting Thomas. Last week Jesus appeared to the Apostles in the upper room and ate with them. The readings today also deal with the Resurrection of Jesus and its significance.

 

As usual after Easter, the first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles and records the aftermath of the healing of a paralyzed man by Peter. It is really striking that shortly after the Resurrection, Peter was able to perform deeds very similar to those of Jesus. In this case the miraculous cure prompts the authorities to bring Peter in for questioning. They want to know by what means the man was healed. Peter explains,

 

All of you and all the people of Israel should know

That it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean

Whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead;

In his name this man stands before you healed.

                                                          

Peter claims no special or divine-like power for himself. He was only acting in the name of Jesus, or to put it another way, he was just doing what the Lord had instructed him to do. 

 

In today’s gospel Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd. St. John records these words of Jesus even before his crucifixion and Resurrection.

 

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.

 

These words of Jesus bring to mind a meeting between Jesus and Peter after the Resurrection. You may recall that on that occasion Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” When Peter replied, “Lord, you know I love you,” Jesus told him to “feed my sheep.” The gospel tells us that Jesus asked the question three times, and each time Peter was told to take care of his flock just like a good shepherd. In my own parish of Our Lady of the Assumption in Fairfield, CT a small stained glass window actually depicts Jesus handing a shepherd’s staff or crook to Peter.

 

I know that many of us can identify with the sheep but Jesus is asking us to act like good shepherds for our own little flock. He was certainly aware that there would be many bad shepherds that would desert the flock in time of need. He spoke of hirelings who work only for pay and have no concern for the sheep. They only have their own interests at heart.

 

We can see these bad shepherds all around us today. Can anyone believe that a politician puts us ahead of their own self-interest and career? When entertainers and athletes get paid millions to endorse products, can we really believe they care for us. When TV celebrities and commentators put spin on practically everything they say, can we really believe that they would give up their lives for us? Sadly, many religious leaders, both high and low, seem to put themselves before the flocks they are supposed to serve.

 

Years ago, I read a self-help book that had sold over a million copies. The popular author argued that people should use anger to cure themselves. When things went wrong, he urged his readers to look back into their past and find others to blame, especially their parents. If you could understand that your predicament was caused by your parents, either through neglect or abuse, then your anger against them would heal you. The author probably became a millionaire as a result of his book but I doubt if his advice actually helped anyone.

 

Today is often called Good Shepherd Sunday. For most of us the best shepherds have been our parents. Who else ever gave up their lives for us? For most of us our parents were the first sign of God’s love for us. In today’s second reading from the first letter of John, we hear,

 

See what love the Father has bestowed on us

That we may be called the children of God.

 

 

###

Reading 1. Acts 4: 8-12

Reading II. 1 John 3: 1-2

Gospel. John 10: 11-18 (good shepherd)

The Good Shepherd

                                     4th Sunday of Easter

                                   

Feed My Sheep
Assumption Church
Fairfield, CT

In the Sundays after Easter the readings usually give us testimony or witness to the Resurrection of the Lord. Two Sundays ago we had the touching account of doubting Thomas. Last Sunday, we heard about the appearance of the Risen Lord to the disciples at Emmaus. They recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. 

In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter stands up in front of a congregation much like ours and proceeds to discuss the implications of the Resurrection.

“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain

That God has made both Lord and Christ

This Jesus whom you crucified.”

One way for us to understand the word of God is to try and put ourselves in the picture whenever we hear the word proclaimed. Although Peter is speaking to the congregation of Jews in front of him, we should consider that he is also speaking to us. He died for all of us and He was raised from the dead for all of us as Peter reminds us:

“For the promise is made to you and your children

And to all those far off,

Whomever the Lord our God will call.”

The word call should remind us of today’s gospel about the Good Shepherd. “The sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” What does it mean to hear the voice of the Lord? Most of us are never going to experience a mystical one-on-one calling. Maybe we should rather focus on what Jesus actually said and did as recorded in our Scriptures. Where was our shepherd leading us? 

We know that he was a healer of both body and soul and he continually urged us to follow his example. He told us to love one another and our neighbor as ourselves. In a famous chapter in the Gospel of St. Matthew, he told us that whenever we fed the hungry, or clothed the naked, or visited the sick, we were doing it for Him. 

Today is often called Good Shepherd Sunday. The responsorial psalm is taken from Psalm 23: “the Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. But in a way Jesus asks us to follow his example and not just be sheep but shepherds to the little flock entrusted to our own care. I know that Mother’s Day is next week but there can be no better example of good shepherds in our midst than our own mothers. When we were young, we knew this instinctively. We followed our mother’s advice and guidance and went to them for shelter and protection. Little did we realize how much they suffered and bore so that we might live and prosper. 

In today’s second reading Peter again speaks of those who have been called to follow the example of Christ. The words especially apply to all mothers.

For to this you have been called,

Because Christ also suffered for you.

Leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.

All over the world today mothers are suffering for their children both young and old. We don’t often think of women as shepherds but the words that Peter spoke of Jesus could apply to most mothers. When they are insulted, they return no insult. When they suffer, they do not threaten. They patiently bear their children’s faults and imperfections in the hope that they might find happiness. And when their children go astray, they pray for them, search for them, and hope for their safe return.

###

Reading 1.Acts 2: 14a, 36-41

Reading II. 1 Peter 2: 20b-25

Gospel. John 10: 1-10 (good shepherd)

The Good Shepherd

                                     4th Sunday of Easter

                                

In the Sundays after Easter the readings usually give us testimony or witness to the Resurrection of the Lord. Two Sundays ago we had the touching account of doubting Thomas. Last Sunday, we heard about the appearance of the Risen Lord to the disciples at Emmaus. They recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.

In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter stands up in front of a congregation much like ours and proceeds to discuss the implications of the Resurrection.

“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain

That God has made both Lord and Christ

This Jesus whom you crucified.”

One way for us to understand the word of God is to try and put ourselves in the picture whenever we hear the word proclaimed. Although Peter is speaking to the congregation of Jews in front of him, we should consider that he is also speaking to us. He died for all of us and He was raised from the dead for all of us as Peter reminds us:

“For the promise is made to you and your children

And to all those far off,

Whomever the Lord our God will call.”

The word call should remind us of today’s gospel about the Good Shepherd. “The sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” What does it mean to hear the voice of the Lord? Most of us are never going to experience a mystical one-on-one calling. Maybe we should rather focus on what Jesus actually said and did as recorded in our Scriptures. Where was our shepherd leading us?

We know that he was a healer of both body and soul and he continually urged us to follow his example. He told us to love one another and our neighbor as ourselves. In a famous chapter in the Gospel of St. Matthew, he told us that whenever we fed the hungry, or clothed the naked, or visited the sick, we were doing it for Him.

Today is often called Good Shepherd Sunday. The responsorial psalm is taken from Psalm 23: “the Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. But in a way Jesus asks us to follow his example and not just be sheep but shepherds to the little flock entrusted to our own care. I know that Mother’s Day is next week but there can be no better example of good shepherds in our midst than our own mothers. When we were young, we knew this instinctively. We followed our mother’s advice and guidance and went to them for shelter and protection. Little did we realize how much they suffered and bore so that we might live and prosper.

In today’s second reading Peter again speaks of those who have been called to follow the example of Christ. The words especially apply to all mothers.

"For to this you have been called,

Because Christ also suffered for you.

Leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps."

All over the world today mothers are suffering for their children both young and old. We don’t often think of women as shepherds but the words that Peter spoke of Jesus could apply to most mothers. When they are insulted, they return no insult. When they suffer, they do not threaten. They patiently bear their children’s faults and imperfections in the hope that they might find happiness. And when their children go astray, they pray for them, search for them, and hope for their safe return.

###

Reading 1.Acts 2: 14a, 36-41

Reading II. 1 Peter 2: 20b-25

Gospel. John 10: 1-10 (good shepherd)

Paul and the Risen Lord

                        4th Sunday of Easter

                                   

Caravaggio: Conversion of Paul

In all the Sundays between Easter and Pentecost the first reading comes from the Acts of the Apostles as we follow them on their early missionary activity. Please note that even though we read these accounts now, they refer to the activity of the Apostles after Pentecost. Today the focus shifts from Peter to Paul, who called himself  "the least of the Apostles."

In this cycle of readings we don't even get into the story of Paul's conversion. We'll have to wait for another day to hear the account of his meeting with the Risen Lord on the road to Damascus. By the time we pick up the story in today's reading Paul, the persecutor of Christians, has already been converted, baptized, and empowered to preach. From the hints in today's reading it seems clear that his mission was at first to the Jewish communities outside of the Holy Land.

By the time of Christ practically every city in what we would call the Near East had a prominent Jewish community of merchants and tradesmen. Although the Romans had conquered, it was Greek culture, language, thought and practices that predominated in this part of the ancient world. So when Paul speaks of Gentiles he is usually referring to the Greeks. Needless to say there was bound to be friction between Greek and Jew. Historians trace the origins of anti-Semitism to the rivalry between these Greek and Jewish communities long before the time of Christ.

On their part the Jews regarded the Greeks as unclean and preferred to live apart from them. The worship of idols and the offering of sacrifices to those idols was an abomination to the Jews. Just as serious were some practices among the Gentiles, like abortion and pornography, which disgusted the Jews.

Antioch, where we meet Paul today, was a flourishing Greek trading center. Obviously, Paul feels at home among the Jewish community there. Following normal Jewish practice Paul and Barnabas enter the synagogue on the Sabbath and take their seats. It seems clear from today's reading that Paul doesn't think that Jews have to stop being Jewish in order to follow Christ. In fact, the more we learn about Judaism in the time of Christ, the more we see the great similarity between Jew and Christian.

However, in the next few weeks we are going to see that there were fundamental differences. The most basic one had to do with the claim that Jesus makes in today's gospel account from St. John.

            My sheep hear my voice;...

            I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish....

            My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,...

            The Father and I are one.

Jesus identifies Himself with the God of Israel. We must realize that no one would ever think of the Holy Trinity unless Jesus had continually referred to Himself along with the Father and the Spirit. A reasonable person could conclude that there could only be one God. The Jews did and so would the Moslems 600 years after the time of Christ. The Moslems still regard Jesus and His Mother with great reverence. Mary, for example, is the only woman named in the Koran. Still, Jesus was only a good man or a great teacher. The claim that He is one with the Father is equally shocking to them as well as to the Jews. It was not logic or reason that led the early Church to reject heresies that claimed that Jesus was only a man. It was the words of Jesus, himself.

Why should we believe His words? Who wouldn't regard them as absurd or crazy? Although it's clear that Paul converted many Jews, we can sympathize with those who found his words shocking and threw him out of town. Indeed, whenever we see the Jews mentioned in scripture, we should put ourselves in their place. How many Christians today prefer to think of Jesus as just a good man or a fine teacher who went about doing good works? Even then we don't want Him running our affairs or interfering in our lives.

For Paul the reason for belief was the Resurrection. In another place, he said that "if Christ is not risen, then our faith is in vain." He personally witnessed the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus. He called himself the least of the Apostles because he had persecuted the Church and was the last to see the Lord. After his conversion Paul's eyes were opened and he saw that the God of Israel had become incarnate in Jesus. Things could never be the same.

Jesus came for all men. It was no longer possible for Jew and Greek to live apart, for all are brothers and sisters. Paul now believes that the mission of the Jews all along had been to save their despised enemy. He says to his Jewish brethren and to us,

            I have made you a light to the Gentiles,

            that you may be an instrument of salvation

            to the ends of the earth.

In the reading from the Book of Revelation John has the same vision as Paul. He sees a multitude "from every nation, race, people and tongue" standing at the Heavenly throne before the Risen Lamb. The Lamb "will lead them to the springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

The Risen Lamb of God
Stained Glass Window
Assumption Church, Fairfield CT

###

Reading 1. Acts 13:14, 43-52

Reading II. Revelation 7:9, 14b-17

Gospel. John 10: 27-30 (The Father and I are one).