May 11, 2025
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 51
Reading 1
Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga
and reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats.
Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism
followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them
and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.
On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered
to hear the word of the Lord.
When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.
Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said,
“It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first,
but since you reject it
and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life,
we now turn to the Gentiles.
For so the Lord has commanded us,
I have made you a light to the Gentiles,
that you may be an instrument of salvation
to the ends of the earth.”
The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this
and glorified the word of the Lord.
All who were destined for eternal life came to believe,
and the word of the Lord continued to spread
through the whole region.
The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers
and the leading men of the city,
stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and expelled them from their territory.
So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them,
and went to Iconium.
The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm
R.(3c) We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R.We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R.We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2
I, John, had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
Then one of the elders said to me,
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
“For this reason they stand before God’s throne
and worship him day and night in his temple.
The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
They will not hunger or thirst anymore,
nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne
will shepherd them
and lead them to springs of life-giving water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said:
“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.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051125.cfm
Commentary on Acts
13:14,43-52; Revelation 7:9,14-17; John 10:27-30
In the First Reading, Paul (as he is now called) and
Barnabas say to the people of Antioch in Pisidia:
…the Lord has commanded us, saying,
‘I have set you to be a light for the gentiles,
so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’
We are then told that:
When the gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised
the word of the Lord, and as many as had been destined for eternal life became
believers.
Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, is commonly known as
‘Good Shepherd Sunday’ (because the Gospel is taken from Jesus’ teaching in
chapter 10 of John’s Gospel about himself as the Good Shepherd). But it is also
known as ‘Vocation Sunday’ because on this day we pray especially that more may
answer the call to serve the Church in a special way (as did Paul and
Barnabas), particularly as pastors and religious.
In his various letters, Paul speaks strongly of the unity of
faith and love that binds all Christians together. Jesus at his Last Supper
also prayed that all his followers be one. This would be the most potent sign
of his presence among us.
But Paul also emphasises another important characteristic.
Unity does not mean uniformity; it does not mean that all are exactly the same.
We are not clones. Quite the opposite, in fact. He speaks of a huge variety in
the Christian community. It is this variety that makes the unity so striking.
This variety is based on the special gifts that each one has received. These
gifts are called ‘charisms’. “Charism” comes from the Greek word charis,
which means a gift or grace.
Like the human body
In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul compares the Christian community
to the human body (see 1 Cor 12:12-31). The body consists of a large number of
separate organs, external and internal. Each one has its own particular
functions, which are totally different from others. He writes:
Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of
many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the
body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would
say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not
make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would
the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell
be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he
chose. (1 Cor 12:14-18)
Paul continues:
But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater
honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body,
but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers,
all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together
with it. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the
head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the
body that seem to be weaker are indispensable… If one member suffers, all
suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with
it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (1
Cor 12:24-27)
The parts of the Christian body
But in the body that is the Christian community, what are these parts? They are
the charisms, the special gifts and abilities which have been given to each one
by the Holy Spirit. There are no exceptions! And these gifts are given for just
one purpose: to build up the whole body of the Christian community, the Church.
They are not just for me, they are not even just to help me become a holy
person.
Again in his First Letter to the Christians of Corinth, Paul
lists some of the main charisms:
And God has appointed in the church first apostles,
second prophets, third teachers, then deeds of power, then gifts of healing,
forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all
apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work powerful deeds? Do
all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? (1 Cor
12:28-30)
What is my charism?
In our parish we might ask, “Are all priests? Are all sisters? Are all
Scripture readers? Are all choir directors or choir members?” But we can also
ask each one here: “What is your charism? What have you been given so that you
can make a personal contribution to the life of this community?” Maybe it is as
a parent forming children; maybe it is as a teacher educating young people not
just to know mathematics and geography, but to become constructive members of
our society and Church; maybe it is as a civil servant, a policeman, a fireman,
or a businessman, an engineer or as an architect. The question is: how do you
express your Christian faith through your daily work? How do you serve the
Christian community by what you do?
All are called
The first thing we need to say on this Vocation Sunday is that every single
person here has a vocation, every single person here has been and is being
called by God through the Holy Spirit to offer their special gifts to the rest
of the community. What is your vocation? What is your special gift? What
contribution are you making to the life of this parish both inside the Church
and outside it?
Today we are being asked to pray in a special way for
particular types of vocations which are very necessary for the life of the
Church. We need pastoral shepherds for our parish communities and we do not
have enough. We need the special witness that religious give through lives of
celibacy, poverty and obedience.
What we are praying for is not so much more vocations, because
the Holy Spirit is surely calling those who are needed for the service of the
Church. Rather we are praying that those who are being called will answer the
call.
Praying for other people
At the same time, while we pray fervently for vocations to the priesthood and
religious life, and give generously in the collection for the seminary, there
is a real danger that we are praying for other people’s vocations—for other parents
to generously encourage their children to enter the seminary or the convent.
No, Vocation Sunday is for all of us here.
On the one hand, each one needs to reflect on what their particular calling is
and how they can respond to it for the well-being of the whole parish
community. Secondly, we each need to help and not be an obstacle to others in
responding to the particular calling or grace that God through his Spirit is
giving them.
We sometimes speak of a ‘vocation crisis’. There is no
vocation crisis in the sense that everyone has a vocation. There is no vocation
crisis in that far more lay people are now being formed for pastoral service in
the Church than was the case in even the relatively recent past. There is a
crisis in that too many are not aware of their vocation or, if they are, they
are not responding to it. Let us pray today that every one of us here will be
sensitive to the guidance of the Spirit in our lives and that we may respond
generously to the calls which he is making on us. If we all actively responded
to that call what a wonderful community we would be!
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Sunday, May 11, 2025
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Lectio
Opening Prayer:
Come, Holy Spirit, to our hearts and kindle
in them the fire of your love, give us the grace to read and re-read this page
of the Gospel, to actively, lovingly and operatively remember it in our life.
We wish to get close to the mystery of the Person of Jesus contained in this
image of the Shepherd. For this, we humbly ask you to open the eyes of our mind
and heart in order to be able to know the power of your Resurrection. Enlighten
our mind, oh Spirit of light, so that we may understand the words of Jesus, the
Good Shepherd; warm up our heart so as to be aware that these words are not far
from us, that they are the key of our present experience. Come, oh Holy Spirit,
because without you the Gospel will be dead letter; with you the Gospel is the
Spirit of Life. Give us, oh Father, the Holy Spirit; we ask this together with
Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother and with Elias, your prophet in the
name of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
Reading of the Text - John 10: 27-30:
27 My sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow me; 28 and I give them
eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of
my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is
greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30
I and the Father are one." Moments
of Prayerful Silence:
Silence protects the fire of the word which
has entered in us through the listening of the Word. It helps to preserve the
interior fire of God. Stop for a few moments in the silence, listening to be
able to participate in the creative and recreative power of the divine Word.
Meditatio
Key to the Reading:
The passage of the Liturgy of this Sunday is
taken from chapter 10 of St. John, a discourse of Jesus during the Jewish Feast
of the dedication of the Temple of Jerusalem which was celebrated at the end of
December (during which the re- consecration of the Temple, which had been
violated by the Syrian-Hellenists, was commemorated, the work of Judas Maccabee
in 164 B.C.). The word of Jesus concerning the relation between the Shepherd
(Christ) and the sheep
(the Church) belongs to a true and
proper debate between Jesus and the Jews. They ask Jesus a clear question and
demand a response, just as concrete and public: “If you are the Christ, tell us
the plain truth” (10: 24). John, other times in the Gospel presents the Jews
who intend to get a clear affirmation from Jesus concerning his identity (2:
18; 5: 16; 8: 25). In the Synoptics a similar question is presented during the
process before the Chief Priests (Mt 26: 63; Mk 14: 61; Lk 22: 67). Jesus‟
answer is presented in two stages (vv. 25-31 and 32-39). Let us briefly
consider the context of the first stage where our liturgical text is inserted.
The Jews have not understood the parable of the Shepherd (Jn 10: 1-21) and now
they ask Jesus a clearer revelation of his identity. In itself, the reason for
their unbelief is not to be sought in the lack of clarity but in their refusal
to belong to his flock, to his sheep. An analogous expression of Jesus may
throw light on this as we read in Mk 4: 11: “To you I have made known the
mystery of the Kingdom of God, but the others who are on the outside, hear all
things by means of parables.” The words of Jesus are light only for those who
live within the community, for those who decide to remain outside these words are
an enigma which disconcerts. To the unbelief of the Jews, Jesus opposes the
behavior of those who belong to him and whom the Father has given to him; and
also the relationship with them.
Jesus’ language is
not immediately evident for us; rather in comparing the believers to a flock
leaves us perplexed. We are not, at all, strangers to the life of farmers and
shepherds, and it is not easy to understand what the flock would represent for
a people who are shepherds. The audience to whom Jesus addresses the parable,
on the other hand, were precisely shepherds. It is evident that the parable is
understood from the point of view of the man who shares almost everything with
his flock. He knows his sheep: he sees the quality of each one and every
defect; the sheep also experience his guidance: they respond to his voice and
to his indications.
•
The sheep of Jesus listen to his voice: it is a
question not only of an external listening (3: 5; 5: 37) but also of an
attentive listening (5: 28; 10: 3) up to an obedient listening (10: 16, 27; 18:
37; 5: 25). In the discourse of the shepherd this listening expresses the trust
and the union that the sheep have with the shepherd (10: 4). The adjective “my,
mine” does not only indicate the simple possession of the sheep, but makes
evident that the sheep belong to him, and they belong in so far as he is the
owner (10: 12).
•
Here, then, is established an intimate
communication between Jesus and the sheep: “and I know them” (10: 27). It is
not a question of intellectual knowledge; in the Biblical sense “to know
someone” means, above all, to have a personal relation with him, to live in
some way in communion with him. A knowledge which does not exclude the human
features of sympathy, love, communion of nature.
•
In virtue of this knowledge of love the shepherd
invites his own to follow him. The listening to the Shepherd involves also a
discernment, because among the many different possible voices, the sheep choose
that which corresponds to a concrete Person (Jesus). Following this
discernment, the response is active, personal and becomes obedience. This
results from the listening. Therefore, between the listening and following the
Shepherd is the knowledge of Jesus.
The knowledge which the sheep have of Jesus
opens an itinerary which leads to love: “I give them eternal life.” For the
Evangelist, life is the gift of communion with God. While in the Synoptics
“life” or “eternal life” is related
to the future; in John’s Gospel it indicates an actual possession. This aspect
is frequently repeated in John’s narration: “He who believes
in the Son possesses eternal life” (3: 36); “I am telling you the truth:
whoever hears my words and believes in him who sent me has eternal life” (5:
24; 6: 47).
The relation of love of Jesus
becomes concrete also by the experience of protection which man experiences: it
is said that the sheep “will never be lost.” Perhaps, this is a reference to
eternal damnation. And it is added that “no one will snatch them.” These
expressions suggest the role of the hand of God and of Christ who prevent the
hearts of persons to be snatched by other negative forces. In the Bible the
hand, in some contexts, is a metaphor which indicates the force of God who
protects (Deut 33: 3: Ps 31: 6). In others, the verb “to snatch” (harpázö) suggests the idea that the
community of disciples will not be exempt from the attacks of evil and of
temptations. But the expression “no one will snatch them” indicates that the
presence of Christ assures the community of the certainty of an unflinching
stability which allows them to overcome every temptation of fear. Some Questions:
To orientate the meditative reflection and the updating:
•
The first attitude which the Word of Jesus makes
evident is that man has “to listen.” This verb in Biblical language is rich and
relevant: it implies joyous adherence to the content of what is listened to,
obedience to the person who speaks, the choice of life of the one who addresses
us. Are you a man immersed in listening to God? Are there spaces and moments in
your daily life which you dedicate, in a particular way, to listening to the
Word of God?
•
The dialogue or intimate and profound
communication between Christ and you has been defined by the Gospel in today’s
Liturgy by a great Biblical verb, “to know” This involves the whole being of
man: the mind, the heart, the will. Is your consciousness of Christ firm at a
theoretical-abstract level or do you allow yourself to be transformed and
guided by his voice on the journey of your life?
•
The man who has listened and known God “follows”
Christ as the only guide of his life. Is your following daily, continuous? Even
when in the horizon one foresees the threat or nightmare of other voices or
ideologies which try to snatch us from communion with God?
•
In the meditation of today’s Gospel two other
verbs emerged: we will never be
“lost, damned” and nobody will be
able to “snatch” us from the presence of Christ who protects our life. This is
the foundation and motivation of our daily assurance. This idea is expressed in
such a luminous way by Paul: “For I am certain that nothing can separate us
from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers
or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the
world below – there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to
separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus, our Lord”
(Rm 8: 38-39). When between the believer and the Person of Jesus is
established, a relation made by calls and listening, then life proceeds assured
to attain spiritual maturity and success. The true foundation of this assurance
lies in discovering every day the divine identity of this Shepherd who is the
assurance of our life. Do you experience this security and this serenity when
you feel threatened by evil?
•
The words of Jesus “I give them eternal life”
assure you that the end of your journey as believer, is not dark and uncertain.
For you, does eternal life refer to the number of years that you can live or
instead does it recall your communion of life with God himself? Is the
experience of the company of God in your life a reason for joy?
Oratio
Psalm 100: 2, 3, 5
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his
people, and the sheep of his pasture.
For the Lord is good; his
steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Final Prayer:
Lord, we ask you to manifest yourself to each one of us as the
Good Shepherd, who by the force of the Paschal Mystery reconstitutes, animates
your own, with your delicate presence, with all the force of your Spirit. We
ask you to open our eyes, so as to be able to know how you guide us, support
our will to follow you any place where you want to lead us. Grant us the grace
of not being snatched from your hands of Good Shepherd and of not being in the
power of evil which threatens us, from the divisions which hide or lurk within
our heart. You, oh Christ, be the Shepherd, our guide, our example, our
comfort, our brother. Amen!
Contemplatio
Contemplate the Word of the Good Shepherd in
your life. The preceding stages of the Lectio Divina, important in themselves,
become practical, if orientated to lived experience. The path of the “Lectio”
cannot be considered ended if it does not succeed to make of the Word a school
of life for you. Such a goal is attained when you experience in you the fruits
of the Spirit. These are: interior peace which flourishes in joy and in the
relish for the Word; the capacity to discern between that which is essential
and work of God and that which is futile and work of the evil; the courage of
the choice and of the concrete action, according to the values of the Biblical
page that you have read and meditated on.
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