4th Sunday of Easter (Good Shepherd Sunday): Acts 4:8-12. 1 Jn 3:1-2. Jn 10:11-18. The Gospel this weekend is this: Jn 10:11-18. I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 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. 13 This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep * that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. * This command I have received from my Father." The first reading is this: Acts 4:8-12. Then Peter, filled with the holy Spirit, answered them, "Leaders of the people and elders: 9 If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, 10 then 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. 11 He is 'the stone rejected by you, * the builders, which has become the cornerstone.' 12 * There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved." The second reading is this: 1 Jn 3:1-2. See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed * we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. MEDITATION: This Sunday we celebrate the fact that Christ is a good shepherd who gives his life for his sheep. The sheep represent us! We may lose ourselves, but God is leading our return. The first reading is of Peter trying to shepherd the shepherds of the Jews who had themselves diverted much and condemned Jesus. The second is a small praise of how God calls us. As a prologue to the parable of ‘the prodigal son’, Jesus says that when the shepherd finds the lost sheep, "he lays it on his shoulders with much joy, and takes it back home, and then brings together his friends and neighbors saying, "Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep."" (Lk 15:1-6). It does not say that he complains with frustration, but that he celebrates with much joy! Walking through the countryside in Ireland once, I saw a lamb trapped on a small island in the middle of a stream. I was surprised to see it there. Others were eating grass in the field of to the side. It seems that lamb had crossed by a ford not too deep, but the level went up. I got messy and wet feet in order to take it back, but I loved seeing it running in the grass towards its mother sheep. It made me think of how Jesus likes when mankind has the humility to let him return us to the home of God. But do we listen well to his voice? A missionary priest friend once was in Palestine and saw how pastors come to large herds and the sheep are called, but only some of them come running. It seems that the sheep of different shepherds mingle and form large flocks, but each one manages to distinguish between its own pastor and strangers. I presume that we all hear calls of riches, honours and pleasures in the world, but our good Shepherd continues to call! The problem is that many think proudly that they don't need to be guided. Jesus continues: "I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents that over ninety-nine righteous who do not need to repent" (Luke 15:7). Jesus describes them as 'those who do not need to repent', but I think that it is telling that when a person seems very Holy, he may have arrogance inside, and that attitude really needs repentance. I also need it! Pride really spoils the road to the sky - like a sheep away from their pastor because he wants to make his own way independently. That is the tragedy that brought the Jews against Jesus. Jesus was in favour of the majority of his ways (as the Old Testament was of God), but was against their way of putting an end there. He proposed to move forward. The Trinity are ambitious about their children. Even calls us all to help in their grazing. Some reject the role of our Church in clarifying scripture, but think about how dogs help the shepherds. They simply play a role in guiding. The central Shepherd is Christ himself. As vocations Sunday, I would add, that our good Shepherd is always calling decent Christians to help you. Some do not want to love generously in life unless there is clear rewards, but the Trinity are offering us a Supreme reward: Eternal Life in heaven. But that's different to be a salaried employee of today's Gospel. Is more as a loving son who wants to reunite the family. Our good Shepherd is not 'paid' and wants to see us 'lambs' back with their mother 'sheep'. Traditionally, we sing that it ‘May is 'the month of Mary’ and indeed the Popes propose the Rosary. Let our good Shepherd lead us home - where MUM is! .....Dara. en ESPAÑÓL: 4° Domingo de Pascua (Domingo del Buen Pastor): Hchos 4:8-12. 1°Jn 3:1-2. Jn 10:11-18. Este domingocelebramos el hecho de que Cristo es un Buen Pastor que entrega su vida por sus ovejas. ¡Las ovejas son una imagen de nosotros! Podemos extraviarnos, pero Dios sigue guiando nuestra vuelta. La primera lectura es de Pedro intentando pastorear los pastores de los Judíos que habían ellos mismos desviado mucho en condenarle a Jesús. La segunda es una pequeña alabanza del hecho de que Dios nos llama. Como prólogo para la parábola del hijo pródigo, Jesús dice que cuando encuentra la oveja perdida, “La pone sobre sus hombros con mucho gozo, y al llevarla de vuelta al hogar, reúne a sus amigos y vecinos diciendo, “Regocijaos conmigo porque he encontrado mi oveja perdida.” (Lc 15:1-6). ¡No dice que se queja con frustración, sino que celebra con mucho gozo! Al caminar por el campo en Irlanda una vez, vi un cordero atrapado en una islita en medio de un pequeño riachuelo. Me sorprendió verlo allí. Los demás estaban comiendo la hierba en el campo de al lado. Parece que el cordero había cruzado por un vado no muy hondo, pero después el nivel subió. Me ensucié y mojé los pies al llevarlo de vuelta, pero me encantó verla saltando por la hierba hacia su madre oveja. Me hizo pensar en cómo se debe sentir Jesús cuando el hombre tiene la humildad para dejarle devolvernos al hogar de Dios. Pero ¿escuchamos bien su voz? Un amigo sacerdote misionero estaba en Palestina una vez, y vio cómo los pastores se acercan a rebaños grandes y llaman a las ovejas, pero solo algunas de las ovejas vienen corriendo. Parece que ovejas de pastores distintos se mezclan y forman rebaños gran+des, pero los individuos distinguen entre su pastor y otros extraños. ¡Supongo que todos oímos las llamadas de riquezas, placeres y honores en el mundo, pero nuestro Buen Pastor no deja de llamar! El problema es que muchos piensan orgullosamente que no necesitan ser guiados. Jesús continua: “Os digo, de la misma manera, habrá más gozo en el cielo por un pecador que se arrepiente que por noventa y nueve justos que no necesitan arrepentirse” (Lucas 15:7). Jesús les describe como ‘los que no necesitan arrepentirse’, pero creo que está diciéndonos que cuando una persona parece muy santa, puede ser que por dentro haya orgullo, y ¡aquella actitud realmente necesita arrepentimiento... ¡y lo necesito yo! El orgullo realmente estropea el camino hacia el cielo – como una oveja alejándose de su pastor porque quiere hacer lo suyo independientemente. Aquello es la tragedia que puso a los judíos en contra de Jesús. Jesús estaba en favor de la mayoría de sus caminos (como el Viejo Testamento era de Dios), pero estaba en contra de su forma de poner punto final allí. Él les propuso seguir adelante. Dios es ambicioso para sus hijos. Aún nos llama a todos a ayudar en su pastoreo. Algunos rechazan el papel de nuestra iglesia en clarificar guiones, pero piensa en cómo los perros ayudan a los pastores. Simplemente toman el papel en guiar, pero el pastor es Cristo mismo. Siendo domingo de vocaciones, añado, que nuestro Buen Pastor está siempre llamando a cristianos decentes para ayudarle. Algunos no quieren amar generosamente en la vida a no ser que haya recompensas claras, pero Dios está ofreciéndonos una recompensa suprema: la Vida Eterna en el Cielo. Pero aquello es distinto a ser un empleado asalariado del evangelio de hoy. Es más como un hijo amoroso que quiere reunir a toda la familia. Nuestro Buen Pastor no es ‘asalariado’ y quiere vernos a nosotros, ‘corderitos’, de vuelta con su madre ‘oveja’. Tradicionalmente, cantamos que Mayo es ‘el mes de María’ y de hecho los Papas han escrito documentos proponiendo el rosario. ¡Dejemos a nuestro Buen Pastor guiarnos a casa – donde está Mamá! .....Dara. Comments are closed.
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