Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 279
Lectionary: 279
The Apostles and
the brothers who were in Judea
heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God.
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem
the circumcised believers confronted him, saying,
‘You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.”
Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying,
“I was at prayer in the city of Joppa
when in a trance I had a vision,
something resembling a large sheet coming down,
lowered from the sky by its four corners, and it came to me.
Looking intently into it,
I observed and saw the four-legged animals of the earth,
the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky.
I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’
But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir,
because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
But a second time a voice from heaven answered,
‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.’
This happened three times,
and then everything was drawn up again into the sky.
Just then three men appeared at the house where we were,
who had been sent to me from Caesarea.
The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating.
These six brothers also went with me,
and we entered the man’s house.
He related to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, saying,
‘Send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter,
who will speak words to you
by which you and all your household will be saved.’
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them
as it had upon us at the beginning,
and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said,
‘John baptized with water
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us
when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who was I to be able to hinder God?”
When they heard this,
they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying,
“God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too.”
heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God.
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem
the circumcised believers confronted him, saying,
‘You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.”
Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying,
“I was at prayer in the city of Joppa
when in a trance I had a vision,
something resembling a large sheet coming down,
lowered from the sky by its four corners, and it came to me.
Looking intently into it,
I observed and saw the four-legged animals of the earth,
the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky.
I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’
But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir,
because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
But a second time a voice from heaven answered,
‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.’
This happened three times,
and then everything was drawn up again into the sky.
Just then three men appeared at the house where we were,
who had been sent to me from Caesarea.
The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating.
These six brothers also went with me,
and we entered the man’s house.
He related to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, saying,
‘Send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter,
who will speak words to you
by which you and all your household will be saved.’
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them
as it had upon us at the beginning,
and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said,
‘John baptized with water
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us
when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who was I to be able to hinder God?”
When they heard this,
they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying,
“God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too.”
Responsorial PsalmPS 42:2-3; 43:3, 4
R. (see 3a) Athirst is my soul for the living God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
As the hind longs for the running waters,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling-place.
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
As the hind longs for the running waters,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.
When shall I go and behold the face of God?
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling-place.
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 10:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 10:1-10
Jesus said:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
Meditation: "I came that they may have life abundantly"
Do you know the peace and security of the Good Shepherd who
watches over his own? The Old Testament often speaks of God as shepherd of his
people, Israel. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (Psalm
23:1). Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a
flock! (Psalm 80:1) We are his people, and the sheep of his
pasture (Psalm 100:3). The Messiah is also pictured as the shepherd of
God's people: He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather
the lambs in his arms (Isaiah 40:11). Jesus says he is the Good
Shepherd who will risk his life to seek out and save the stray sheep
(Matthew 18:12, Luke 15:4). He is the Shepherd and Guardian of our
souls (1 Peter 2:25).
What can shepherding teach us about God and our relationship with
him? At the end of each day the shepherd brought his sheep into shelter. They
knew the voice of their shepherd and came at his beckoning. So familiar was the
shepherd and his sheep, that each was called by a distinct name. In the winter
the sheep were usually brought to a communal village shelter which was locked
and kept secure by a guardian. In the summer months the sheep were usually kept
out in the fields and then gathered into a fold at night which was guarded by a
shepherd throughout the night. He was literally the door through
which the sheep had to pass.
The Scriptures describe God as a shepherd who brings security
and peace to his people. The Lord will keep your going out and your
coming in from this time forth and for evermore (Psalm 120:8).Even the
leaders of God's people are called shepherds: they shall lead them out
and bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep which
have no shepherd (Numbers 27:17). Just as a shepherd kept watch over
his sheep and protected them from danger, so Jesus stands watch over his people
as the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1 Peter 2:25). Do
you know the peace and security of a life fully submitted to God?
St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) writes: "He has
accomplished what he taught us: He has shown us what He commanded us to do. He
laid down his own life for his sheep, that within our mystery he might change
his body and blood into food, and nourish the sheep he had redeemed with the
food of his own flesh. He has shown us the way we must follow, despite fear of
death. He has laid down the pattern to which we must conform ourselves. The
first duty laid on us is to use our worldly goods in mercy for the needs of his
sheep, and then, if necessary, give even our lives for them. He that will not
give of his substance for his sheep, how shall he lay down his life for
them?" (Tr. 46 in John). Do you look to Jesus the Good Shepherd,
to receive the strength and courage you need to live and serve as his disciple?
"Lord Jesus, you always lead me in the way of true
peace and safety. May I never doubt your care nor stray from your ways. Keep me
safe in the shelter of your presence."
MONDAY, APRIL 27, JOHN 10:1-10
Easter Weekday
(Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 42)
Easter Weekday
(Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 42)
KEY VERSE: "I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture" (v 9).
TO READ: The figure of God as a shepherd who guides and protects the flock was taken from Israel's pastoral life. Sheep, which belonged to various shepherds, were brought together in a sheepfold at night. At daybreak, the watchman would open the gate. The shepherd knew his own sheep and he would call each one by name as he led them out to pasture. The sheep recognized the shepherd's voice and would follow no one else. The shepherd would walk ahead of his flock as they followed him to a place where they would be safe from thieves who might "steal and slaughter and destroy" (John 10:10a). Jesus is the gateway for the sheep. Those who enter through him will be saved and have abundant life (10:10b).
TO REFLECT: Do I pray for Pope Francis, the shepherd of God's people?
TO RESPOND: Risen Lord, help me to follow you as you guide me day by day.
Monday 27 April 2015
St Louis Grignion de
Montfort.
Acts 11:1-18. My soul is thirsting for the living God—Ps 41(42):2-3; 42(43):3-4. John 10:1-10.
Acts 11:1-18. My soul is thirsting for the living God—Ps 41(42):2-3; 42(43):3-4. John 10:1-10.
Peter upheld the right of
pagan converts to join the Christian community without becoming subject to the
Jewish Law.
Some converts greatly
appreciate the benefits they have in the church, and may often show greater
fidelity than cradle Catholics. Saint Augustine had a great appreciation of
what he had received by joining the Catholic Church and said of God: ‘O beauty,
ever old and ever new, too late have I known thee!’ and he strove to serve the
church excellently for the rest of his life.
In the church, we have
received gift of the Spirit, and the guidance of the Good Shepherd. ‘What
return shall I make to the Lord for all he has done for me?’
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
|
Thinking Logically
|
The Lord has given us human beings the ability to reason. We have
an intellect and are able to use our reasoning skills to arrive at logical
decisions. As long as our conclusions don't conflict with any of the Lord's
teachings, He absolutely expects us to use our intelligence.
April
27
St. Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort
(1673-1716)
St. Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort
(1673-1716)
Louis's life is inseparable from his efforts to promote genuine
devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus and mother of the Church. Totus
tuus(completely yours) was Louis's personal motto; Karol Wojtyla (John Paul
II, October 22) chose it as his episcopal motto.
Born in
the Breton village of Montfort, close to Rennes (France), as an adult Louis
identified himself by the place of his Baptism instead of his family name,
Grignion. After being educated by the Jesuits and the Sulpicians, he was
ordained as a diocesan priest in 1700.
Soon he
began preaching parish missions throughout western France. His years of
ministering to the poor prompted him to travel and live very simply, sometimes
getting him into trouble with Church authorities. In his preaching, which
attracted thousands of people back to the faith, Father Louis recommended
frequent, even daily, Holy Communion (not the custom then!) and imitation of
the Virgin Mary's ongoing acceptance of God's will for her life.
Louis
founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary (for priests and brothers) and
the Daughters of Wisdom, who cared especially for the sick. His book True
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin has become a classic explanation of
Marian devotion.
Louis
died in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, where a basilica has been erected in his
honor. He was canonized in 1947.
Comment:
Like Mary, Louis experienced challenges in his efforts to follow Jesus. Opposed at times in his preaching and in his other ministries, Louis knew with St. Paul, “Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7). Any attempt to succeed by worldly standards runs the risk of betraying the Good News of Jesus. Mary is “the first and most perfect disciple,” as the late Raymond Brown, S.S., described her.
Like Mary, Louis experienced challenges in his efforts to follow Jesus. Opposed at times in his preaching and in his other ministries, Louis knew with St. Paul, “Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7). Any attempt to succeed by worldly standards runs the risk of betraying the Good News of Jesus. Mary is “the first and most perfect disciple,” as the late Raymond Brown, S.S., described her.
Quote:
“Mary is the fruitful Virgin, and in all the souls in which she comes to dwell she causes to flourish purity of heart and body, rightness of intention and abundance of good works. Do not imagine that Mary, the most fruitful of creatures who gave birth to a God, remains barren in a faithful soul. It will be she who makes the soul live incessantly for Jesus Christ, and will make Jesus live in the soul” (True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin).
“Mary is the fruitful Virgin, and in all the souls in which she comes to dwell she causes to flourish purity of heart and body, rightness of intention and abundance of good works. Do not imagine that Mary, the most fruitful of creatures who gave birth to a God, remains barren in a faithful soul. It will be she who makes the soul live incessantly for Jesus Christ, and will make Jesus live in the soul” (True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin).
LECTIO DIVINA:
JOHN 10,1-10
Lectio:
Monday, April 27, 2015
Easter Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord God, our Father,
the Spirit of Jesus calls us, as he called your Son,
to abandon our old selves and our old world
to be free for new life and growth.
Forgive us our fear and hesitations,
lead us out of our worn-out phrases and habits,
and our self-made certainties,
steep us in the gospel of your Son,
that his good news may become credible
in our times and our world.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
the Spirit of Jesus calls us, as he called your Son,
to abandon our old selves and our old world
to be free for new life and growth.
Forgive us our fear and hesitations,
lead us out of our worn-out phrases and habits,
and our self-made certainties,
steep us in the gospel of your Son,
that his good news may become credible
in our times and our world.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - John 10,1-10
Jesus said: “In all truth I tell you, anyone
who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but climbs in some other
way, is a thief and a bandit. He who enters through the gate is the shepherd of
the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he
calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out all those that
are his, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice.
They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do
not recognise the voice of strangers.' Jesus told them this parable but they
failed to understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus spoke to them again:
In all truth I tell you, I am the gate of the sheepfold. All who have come
before me are thieves and bandits, but the sheep took no notice of them. I am
the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: such a one will go in and
out and will find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.”
3) Reflection
• In Jesus we have the model of the true
shepherd. In him is fulfilled the expectation of the Good Shepherd promised by
God: the “Great Shepherd” greater than Moses (Hb 13, 20).
• John 10, 1-6: The gate of the sheepfold. In
Jn 10, 1-10 it is said that Jesus is the “gate” to get to the sheep and to be
led to the pastures (10, 7.9-10).
The theme of the sheep had already been
introduced in John 2, 15 and in a particular way in 5, 2 where it is indicated
that there is a Sheep Pool with five porticos along which were laid the sick to
be healed. In this last context the sheep indicate the people who were
oppressed by their directors. In Jn 10, 1, Jesus links the theme of the sheep
to the atrium or inner courtyard of the Temple, the Jewish institution
administered by men of power who trampled on the rights, justice and exploited
the people. Such individuals were called by Jesus “thieves and bandits”.
Jesus begins his long presentation before the
Pharisees, who were closed up in their unbelief and insufficiency (9, 40-41)
with a general affirmation: a more sure way to enter into contact with the
sheep is that of entering by the gate of the enclosure in which they are kept.
Anyone who enters in a different way is not animated by a reason of love for
the sheep, but in order to exploit them for his own interest. This is the sin
of those who direct the people: to take hold of everything that belongs to all
for themselves. Jesus calls this attitude using the term “thief”. This was
precisely the accusation that Jesus addressed to the chief priests of the
people during his first visit to the Temple (2, 13ss).
Another term that Jesus uses to indicate those
who take away from the people what belongs to them is: “bandit”. Such a term
indicates those who use violence. Therefore, the chief priests of the Temple
oblige the people to submit themselves to the violence of their system (7, 13;
9, 22). The effect of this is that it produces a state of death (5, 3.21.25).
The shepherd enters through the gate to take
care of the sheep, not to oppress them or maltreat them. In fact, the sheep
recognize his authority (voice) and follow him. The voice of Jesus contains a
message of liberation for them that is typical of the Messiah. Besides, his
voice is not addressed to an anonymous group of persons but he calls each one
personally. For Jesus no anonymous crowd of people exists, but each person has
a face, a name, dignity. The Temple (the enclosure of the sheep) has become a
place of darkness, characterized only by economic interests; money has replaced
the exclusive attention to God: the Temple has become the business or trading
house (Jn 2, 16).
Jesus leads the people to take them out of the
darkness. And he does not do this in a fictitious way, but in a real way,
because such is the work which the Father has entrusted to him. The fundamental
strokes of this mission are: to enter and to call. Those who respond to that
call, to the call to liberty become a new community: “Those who are His own”.
• John 10, 7-10: Jesus is the new door. Jesus
again uses the symbolism of the gate in vv. 7-8: applying this to himself. He
is the new door not only in regard to the old enclosure of Israel represented
by the chief priests of the people but also in regard to those who follow him.
He reminds the first ones of his legitimacy to be the only place of access for
the sheep, because he is the Messiah ready to give his life for the sheep. And
it is not by domination or prevarication, that one can approach the sheep to
have a relationship with them, but rather by assuming the attitude of the one
who gives his life for them. His words are a categorical invitation to change
mentality, way of thinking and way of relating.
The entrance through Jesus signifies to
consider the good of man as a priority and to commit all our energy to attain
this. Anyone who does not enter into this new logic is an oppressor. The reader
finds that the words of Jesus addressed to his contemporaries and in a
particular way to the chief priests of the people, who have used domination and
violence to exploit the people, are truly hard and strong, firm.
He is the new gate in regard to every person.
But for men and women of today what does it mean to enter through the door
which is Jesus? It implies to “get close to Him”, “to trust Him” (Jn 6, 35), to
follow Him and to allow ourselves to be guided by His message (8, 31. 51), in
definitive it means to participate in the dedication of Jesus so that the true
happiness of man may be accomplished.
4) Personal questions
• Jesus is the Good Shepherd because he always
knows you, but do you recognize him? He is a Shepherd who comes to your life as
a door to go out and to enter: do you allow Him to lead you when you relate
with others?
• In your community, in your family are you
also a door, not to close it, but to remain open to fraternal communication, to
allow esteem and hope to go through?
5) Concluding Prayer
Lord, send out your light and your truth;
they shall be my guide,
to lead me to your holy mountain
to the place where you dwell. (Ps 43,3)
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