Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Lectionary:
280
Those who had been scattered by the persecution
that arose because of Stephen
went as far asPhoenicia ,
Cyprus , and Antioch
preaching the word to no one but Jews.
There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however,
who came toAntioch
proclaiming the Lord Jesus.
The hand of the Lord was with them
and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the Church inJerusalem ,
and they sent Barnabas to go toAntioch
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went toTarsus to
look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him toAntioch
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was inAntioch
were first called Christians.
that arose because of Stephen
went as far as
preaching the word to no one but Jews.
There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however,
who came to
proclaiming the Lord Jesus.
The hand of the Lord was with them
and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in
and they sent Barnabas to go to
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to
and when he had found him he brought him to
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in
were first called Christians.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (117:1a) All you nations, praise the
Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates ofZion
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city ofGod
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I tell ofEgypt
and Babylon
among those who know the LORD;
Of Philistia,Tyre ,
Ethiopia
"This man was born there."
And ofZion
"One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD."
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
"This man was born there."
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
"My home is within you."
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates of
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I tell of
among those who know the LORD;
Of Philistia,
"This man was born there."
And of
"One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD."
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
"This man was born there."
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
"My home is within you."
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel Jn 10:22-30
The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem
It was winter.
And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
"How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
Jesus answered them, "I told you and you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father's name testify to me.
But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father's hand.
The Father and I are one."
It was winter.
And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
"How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
Jesus answered them, "I told you and you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father's name testify to me.
But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father's hand.
The Father and I are one."
Meditation: "My sheep hear my voice,
and no one shall snatch them out of my hand"
How secure is your faith and trust in God? Scripture
describes God’s word as a “lamp for our feet and a light for our steps”(Psalm
119:105). The Jewish Feast of the Dedication is also called the Festival of
Lights or Hanakkuh. This feast was held in late December, near the time when
Christians celebrate the feast of Christmas. This is the time of year when the
day is shortest and the night longest. Jesus used this occasion to declare that
he is the true light of the world(John 8:12). In his light we can see who God
truly is and we can find the true path to heaven.
Jesus speaks of the tremendous trust he has in God his
Father and the tremendous trust we ought to have in him because he is our good
shepherd (John 10:11). Sheep without a shepherd are defenseless against prey,
such as wolves, and often get lost and bewildered without a guide. That is why
shepherds literally live with their sheep out in the open field and mountain
sides. The shepherd guards his sheep from the dangers of storms, floods, and
beasts of prey. The shepherd leads his sheep to the best places for feeding and
the best streams for drinking. He finds the best place for their rest and
safety at night. The sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd and heed his
call when he leads them to safe pasture and rest. We are like sheep – we become
easy prey to forces which can destroy us – sin, Satan, and a world opposed to
God and his people. Jesus not only frees us from Satan's snares and the grip of
sin, he leads us to the best of places where we can feed on the "word of
life" and drink from the "living waters" of his Holy Spirit. The
sheep who heed the voice of Jesus, the good shepherd, have no fear. He will
lead them to the best of places – everlasting peace, joy, and fellowship with
God and his people.
In this present life we will encounter trials and
difficulties. We can face them alone or we can follow Jesus, the true shepherd,
who will bring us safely through every difficulty to the place of peace and
security with God. Do you listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd and heed his
commands?
"Lord Jesus, you
are the Good Shepherd who secures what is best for us. In you I place all my
hope and trust. Open my ears to hear your voice and follow your commands."
(Don Schwager)
All you nations, praise the Lord
Today’s gospel reading continues the theme of Jesus as Shepherd, which we know is a striking feature of John’s writing.
As sheep follow the shepherd because they know his voice, Christians follows Jesus because they recognise Jesus as the Son of God. The image of the shepherd and his flock can help us appreciate more deeply how God cares for us. Much of the time we can be like lost, tired and hungry sheep, but God the Father brings us together under the leadership of his Son and the guidance of his Spirit.
We come together like the people in the reading from Acts to praise and thank God. In that being together we find strength and comfort—like the sheep, like those first Christians. Today, as we honour St Joseph, let us ponder what coming together as Christians means to us.
We come together like the people in the reading from Acts to praise and thank God. In that being together we find strength and comfort—like the sheep, like those first Christians. Today, as we honour St Joseph, let us ponder what coming together as Christians means to us.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
NO LIFE WITHOUT COMMUNITY
This week's College Musical,
'Anything Goes', is probably the biggest community-building exercise in the
school's calendar. I had these things to say about it in the School Assembly on
Wednesday:
'In the middle of the last century we
saw our planet Earth from space for the first time. One of the first to see
Earth from space later wrote: 'When you look at the Earth from space - there
are no national boundaries visible - It's a planet - all one place. All the
beings on it are mutually dependent, like living on a lifeboat. Whatever the
causes that divide us, the earth will be here a thousand - a million - years
from now'.'
Michael Jordan, the great basketball
player, said once, 'There are plenty of teams in every sport that have great
players and never win titles. Most of the time, those players aren't willing to
sacrifice for the greater good of the team. The funny thing is, in the end,
their unwillingness to sacrifice only makes individual goals more difficult to
achieve - I'd rather have five guys with less talent who are willing to come
together as a team than five guys who consider themselves stars and aren't
willing to sacrifice. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win
championships.'
From A Canopy of Stars: Some
Reflections for the Journey by Fr Christopher Gleeson SJ [David Lovell
Publishing 2003]
(Daily Prayer Online)
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
Focus on
Love
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Gracious, loving God, help me to be more aware
of the obstacles, cares, and anxieties that limit my turning toward you. May I
walk the daily path with you, placing my focus on the ways to serve, love,
honor, and adore you! Amen!
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May 1
St. Joseph
St.Joseph the Carpenter, by Georges de La Tour, 1640s.
Apparently in response to the “May Day”
celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists, Pius XII instituted the feast
of St. Joseph
In a
constantly necessary effort to keep Jesus from being removed from ordinary
human life, the Church has from the beginning proudly emphasized that Jesus was
a carpenter, obviously trained by Joseph in both the satisfactions and the
drudgery of that vocation. Humanity is like God not only in thinking and
loving, but also in creating. Whether we make a table or a cathedral, we are
called to bear fruit with our hands and mind, ultimately for the building up of
the Body of Christ.
Comment:
“The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it” (Genesis 2:15). The Father created all and asked humanity to continue the work of creation. We find our dignity in our work, in raising a family, in participating in the life of the Father’s creation. Joseph the Worker was able to help participate in the deepest mystery of creation. Pius XII emphasized this when he said, “The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man, Savior of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work. Thus, if you wish to be close to Christ, we again today repeat, ‘Go to Joseph’” (see Genesis 41:44).
“The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it” (Genesis 2:15). The Father created all and asked humanity to continue the work of creation. We find our dignity in our work, in raising a family, in participating in the life of the Father’s creation. Joseph the Worker was able to help participate in the deepest mystery of creation. Pius XII emphasized this when he said, “The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man, Savior of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work. Thus, if you wish to be close to Christ, we again today repeat, ‘Go to Joseph’” (see Genesis 41:44).
Quote:
In Brothers of Men, René Voillaume of the Little Brothers of Jesus speaks about ordinary work and holiness: “Now this holiness (of Jesus) became a reality in the most ordinary circumstances of life, those of word, of the family and the social life of a village, and this is an emphatic affirmation of the fact that the most obscure and humdrum human activities are entirely compatible with the perfection of the Son of God....this mystery involves the conviction that the evangelical holiness proper to a child of God is possible in the ordinary circumstances of someone who is poor and obliged to work for his living.”
In Brothers of Men, René Voillaume of the Little Brothers of Jesus speaks about ordinary work and holiness: “Now this holiness (of Jesus) became a reality in the most ordinary circumstances of life, those of word, of the family and the social life of a village, and this is an emphatic affirmation of the fact that the most obscure and humdrum human activities are entirely compatible with the perfection of the Son of God....this mystery involves the conviction that the evangelical holiness proper to a child of God is possible in the ordinary circumstances of someone who is poor and obliged to work for his living.”
Prayer:
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