Introduction to the Word: FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER May 11 th, 2014 Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. This day also has two other important titles World Day of Prayer for Vocations, and is also Mother's Day. The Gospel image of the Good Shepherd captures my heart most this day. The Season of Easter invites us to reflect on the depth of God's love for us, especially as we witness the unfolding of the Paschal Mystery: the passion, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. The impact of Jesus upon our lives is beyond measure, even if we are not fully aware of all that Jesus offers. Hopefully there have been people in our lives who have witnessed to us the power of the Paschal Mystery, and brought the Risen Lord into our lives. Who has impacted your life? As we begin, take a few moments and identify one or two people who have witnessed the Paschal Mystery to you, who have brought the Risen Lord into your life. Share this with the group. CALL TO PRAYER (5 MINUTES) Leader: The Good Shepherd knows us and calls us each by name, inviting us to enter through the sheep gate in order to be nourished and protected. Lord Jesus, you call us by name to respond to your voice, Lord, have mercy. Christ Jesus, you comfort us with the love of a Shepherd, Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you suffered so that we might have life, Lord, have mercy. Let us pray together our Heart to Home Prayer: God Our Heavenly Father, we long to make our thoughts your thoughts, and our ways your ways. As we prepare with attentive mind and open heart to hear your Word Lord, we long to be empowered with your Spirit so that we may bring your Word to our families, our parish and our communities. This, our prayer, we make through the intercession of Our Lady of the Visitation and in name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. SCRIPTURE REFLECTION TIME (45 minutes) (Please selected one person not including the leader to take a turn at reading the scripture passages below. Remember this is often how God s Spirit becomes present, and the gifts of the Spirit are experienced as empowering and life-giving.)
FIRST READING (Acts 2:14a, 36b 41) When the day of Pentecost had come, Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd. Let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified. Now when the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, Brothers, what should we do? Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him. And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, Save yourselves from this corrupt generation. So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day were added about three thousand souls. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. SECOND READING (1 Peter 2:20b 25) Beloved: If you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the Cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. GOSPEL (John 10:1 10) A reading from the holy Gospel according to John. Glory to you, O Lord. Jesus said: Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers. Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out
and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. (Allow a few minutes for quiet and for a brief reflection on a meaningful word or thought.) COMMENTARY: He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought out all His own, He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice. (John 10:3b-4) Our Gospel today describes Jesus as the Good Shepherd, who laid down His life on the cross in order to save the sheep (people). The image of the Good Shepherd is envisioned in the Gospel as one who feeds, protects and guides the people, just like a shepherd does with the flock. Jesus, as Good Shepherd, is just one of many symbolic descriptions the Evangelist uses in the Gospel of John. For instance Jesus is described symbolically as flowing water (4:14), Bread of Life (6:35), Life (8:12), Sheep Gate (10:7), Good Shepherd (10: 11), Resurrection and Life (11:25), Light (12:46), Way, Truth and Life (14:6), and Vine (15:1). It is the image of Jesus as Sheep Gate and Good Shepherd that interests us in today's Gospel reading. The church is invited on this day to offer prayers specifically for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, as well as prayers in support of those who have responded to the call to priesthood or religious life. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has given this day the theme of Vocations: Witness to the Truth. Pope Francis has also offered a formal message for the church on this day. Here is some of what Pope Francis has to say: Hence the way of belonging to God is explained: it comes about through a unique and personal relationship with Jesus, which Baptism confers on us from the beginning of our rebirth to new life. It is Christ, therefore, who continually summons us by his word to place our trust in him, loving him 'with all the heart, with all the understanding, and with all the strength' (Mk 12:33). Therefore every vocation, even within the variety of paths, always requires an exodus from oneself in order to centre one's life on Christ and on his Gospel. Both in married life and in the forms of religious consecration, as well as in priestly life, we must surmount the ways of thinking and acting that do not conform to the will of God. It is an 'exodus the leads us on a journey of adoration of the Lord and of service to him in our brothers and sisters' ( Address to the International Union of Superiors General, 8 May 2013). Therefore, we are all called to adore Christ in our hearts (1 Pet 3:15) in order to allow ourselves to be touched by the impulse of grace contained in the seed of the word, which must grow in us and be transformed into concrete service to our neighbour. We must not be afraid: God follows the work of his
hands with passion and skill in every phase of life. He never abandons us! He has the fulfillment of his plan for us at heart, and yet wishes to achieve it with our consent and cooperation. (Pope Francis. Vocations: Witness to the Truth. Issued January 16, 2014, Rome.) What can shepherding teach us about God and our relationship with him? Let s go back to the time of Jesus. At the end of each day the shepherd brought his sheep into a shelter. They knew the voice of their shepherd and came at his call. So familiar was the shepherd and his sheep, that each was called by a distinct name. The sheep pen, then as now, is an enclosure open to the elements and so the owner could have a view of everything that was going on. It is not covered or roofed over like a barn or shed; it has no door either, just an opening. Its walls are open to the sun, the sky, rain and wind. They are often made of rough stones with a layer of thorn brush along the top similar to the picture above. They can be quite dirty, smelly places, but their main purpose is to provide protection. At night, after the sheep are in, the shepherd just lays down in the doorway. He becomes the gate. There is no legitimate access to the sheep except through him. So anyone who tried to climb over the wall to get in was obviously up to no good. If a predator tried to enter, the shepherd would be disturbed. The shepherd, therefore, put his life at risk to protect his sheep, truly becoming the gate. This imagery would have been familiar to those listening to Jesus, but where was he headed? Jesus used this figure of speech but the Pharisees did not understand what He was telling them. (John 10:6). Since they had not gotten the picture yet, Jesus goes for the jugular he becomes direct and explicit, I am the Gate Whoever enters through me will be saved I came so that you might have life He clearly reveals that he is God. Suddenly the whole illustration makes sense with devastating clarity. Amidst the storms of life, Jesus is saying He is the only one through whom we can be safe and secure. Anything or anyone else should be avoided. Finally, Jesus refers to finding pasture. Pasture, to a sheep, is food. A theme of John is that the word of God is our true food. Jesus will lead us, His sheep, through His Word, to true understanding of God, true relationship with God and with each other. Yes, Jesus is the Gate the only gate to heaven. (Allow about 5 10 minutes for the participants to react to the Commentary) Questions for Reflection and Discussion: (15-20 minutes) Take note of the many strong, yet tender, images of the Good Shepherd that pervades the reading: he opens the gate, the sheep hear his voice, he calls his own by name, leads them, the sheep follow him because they know his voice, whoever enters by me will be saved, will find pasture, I came that they may have life
Which of these appeals to you most why? Discuss your images of Shepherd as leader and how these have changed in the Church from the time when you were a child, not now as an adult. Are these changes good, bad, in different why? When we hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, we follow. How do we come to know the voice of the Good Shepherd? How do we develop the level of trust necessary to follow the Good Shepherd? (this question is focussing on our image of God ) Closing Prayer (15-20 minutes) (This time is reserved for quiet prayer as well as for an action-response to the communal reflections. The intent is to outreach to the larger community.) GROUP PRAYER COMMITMENT: / GROUP ACTION: Develop a list of reason why people say they don t go to Mass. Then, develop a series of answers to meet each of these reasons. Would you be ready to tell others how your heart burns within you? Let us pray With hand and hearts united in gratitude for God s favors on us today, we pray that all those in our influence be moved to be open to your Word and your Spirit, while we say as one, OUR FATHER Heart to Home, copyright 2014 by Father F. Freitas. It is copyrighted and cannot be published without permission of the author. The Scripture version used in this commentary is the New Revised Standard Version