Tag: good shepherd

“His heart was moved with pity for them.” | Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

From the Gospel acclamation: “I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and mine know me.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 9:32-38)

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Jesus meets opposition from the Pharisees as he journeys through towns and villages, teaching, proclaiming the Gospel, and curing diseases and illnesses. As the crowds are amazed as Jesus drives out demons and performs miracles, the Pharisees say, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.” Their fear is that Jesus blasphemes God and that he will overthrow the religious leadership of Israel. Yet, as he proclaims the Gospel, Jesus meets the individual needs of every person he encounters and prays for more workers to help extend his ministry of healing and restoration. As the Son of God, Jesus does the Father’s will by bringing the kingdom of God into the presence of the people. As the psalmist prays, “Our God is in heaven; whatever he wills, he does.”

God, give me the grace to understand the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel. “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” Let Christ’s compassion for the crowd prompt me to take action in caring for the needs of others. “So ask the master of the harvest.” You alone are the Lord; receive our prayer. “To send out laborers for his harvest.” Christ calls us to participate by going out to where the harvest is abundant, to the place of greatest need. Whatever this means for me today, help me know and act on your will in a loving, compassionate way.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

From the first reading “There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however, who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 10:22-30)

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.”

During the feast of the Dedication, known as Hanukkah, Jesus is in Jerusalem near the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. In response to the questions some of the Jews ask him, Jesus reiterates what he has already told them about his identity. He is the Christ, the Son of God. The repetition of what he tells them serves to emphasize not only that he is obedient to the Father but is a distinct person of the Trinity. “The Father and I are one.” Belief in that is critical, and as the first reading demonstrates was responsible for the rapid growth of Christians among Jews and Gentiles alike.

God, I come to you in prayer for a short time now, uncertain of the day’s outcome yet recognizing that you are one with Jesus Christ your Son. Again, I hear Jesus say, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” For the times I hear your voice, let me follow without hesitation; for the times I am unaware of you, occupied with the concerns of the day, be patient with me until I turn to you and realize you are near. Father in heaven, you are present, guiding me to you. As the psalmist says, “Glorious things are said of you, O city of God. . . ! My home is within you.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter

From the responsorial psalm: “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? Athirst is my soul for the living God.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 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.”

Jesus goes on to say that he is the gate, not that he is like the gate, but that “whoever enters through me will be saved.” He is the gate. Jesus, who calls us by name, is the way and the truth and the life. The voice of Christ is familiar because it is the voice of the one we hear about in the psalms: “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.” Responding to the voice of the Lord and entering through him is the way to eternal life. “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;” Jesus says, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

God, help me recognize that Christ is the way to you and the means of eternal life. He is the gate through which I find you in this life and salvation in the life of the world to come. Abundant life is what Christ came to bring to all and to me. God, strengthen my desire to be attentive to the voice of Christ, following and imitating him in my words and actions and ignoring the voices of strangers who call me away from him. Lord, give me the grace today to hear and respond to your voice as you draw me to yourself.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Good Shepherd” flickr photo by Lawrence OP https://flickr.com/photos/paullew/13972657988 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) license

Fourth Sunday of Easter

From the responsorial psalm: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 10:11-18)

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 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. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.”

The comforting image of Jesus as the good shepherd is well known and loved. In saying “I know mine and mine know me,” Jesus makes clear that he knows us by name and defends each of us. The relationship Jesus has with his Father, obedient even to death, is the same relationship he invites us into. Many times in this short passage Jesus says that the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. In the example of obedience and trust in the Father, Jesus leads us to a place of unconditional love and eternal life. In laying down our lives for others, Jesus brings us into the source of courage and hope: “I have power to lay it down,” he says, “and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.”

God, I hear Jesus say many times that he will lay down his life for his sheep. I want to think about that for a minute because Jesus also says, “whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” If Jesus lays down his life and has that command from you, help me see in that the good that follows—”there will be one flock, one shepherd.” Lord, give me the grace today to follow where you lead. Help me recognize that in dying to small things that keep me from you—impatience, unforgiveness, selfishness—I learn to lay down my life for you in greater things and become more like Christ. As St. Paul says, “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.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them: “I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me. From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the synagogue officials ask Paul to speak a word of exhortation for the people. He tells them the history of Israel and the revelation of Jesus as the Messiah. In a similar manner, Jesus speaks to the disciples at the Last Supper, clearly stating that he is I AM, the God of Israel present in the flesh. “If you understand this,” Jesus tells them, “blessed are you if you do it.” By washing the disciples’ feet, the humility of God made man demonstrates sacrificial love and service to them and to all of humanity. To become like you, Lord, is impossible without your grace.

God, help me understand the significance of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. You sent your Son, who is one with you; in receiving the one sent, I receive you as my Father in heaven. Peter objected to Jesus washing his feet, but Jesus said to him: “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” Grant me the grace, God, to receive your loving kindness fully in this life so that I can in turn bring your love to others and one day as your adopted son come into your glory.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead, you have loved us and freed us from our sins by your Blood.” Be with me today, Lord!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Jesus said to Philip: Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

With these words, Jesus responds to Philip, who says to him: “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Especially among the disciples, Jesus’ divine identity in the Father is in plain sight. Yet, Philip is unable to see. As Jesus says, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” Speaking to the disciples during the Last Supper, Jesus tells them that just as the Father does his works through him, whoever believes in him will do the works that Jesus himself does. Jesus asks Peter this question, one that I can ask myself throughout the day: “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?”

God, help me understand the significance of today’s Gospel when I am faced with choices to refuse your will or to carry it out. I tend toward self-reliance at times, so much so that I am unable to see you in plain sight in the present moment. Rather than relying solely on my own initiatives today, let me ask in Jesus’ name that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Jesus says, “If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.” Only with childlike trust can I approach you, Lord, in what I ask of you and in what I expect to receive.

God, look upon me today with your love. Give me the grace to see myself as you see me—apart from my own means of measuring self-worth—wholly as you see me, as your beloved child.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

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.”

Jesus teaches the people gathered around him in the temple area. Addressing those who do not believe that he is the Christ, he emphasizes his unity with the Father, telling them, “The Father and I are one.” Although Jesus tells them that he is the Son of God and that those who believe and follow him have eternal life, they insist that he tell them plainly whether he is the Christ. Standing before them is God’s own Son, yet they fail to see what is in plain sight. What are the challenges I will face today in hearing and following the voice of Christ?

God, help me hear your voice today. Your ways, Lord, are hidden in mystery but are perceivable to ears that are open and a heart that longs to hear you. Long ago, in Jerusalem during winter, your Son walked around the temple area. Thinking about him that way makes him seem far away and out of touch with the present. Yet, your risen Son is alive today and accessible through your mercy in the sacraments of the Church, through the scriptures, and in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Grant me understanding, Lord, to know that it was through the death and resurrection of your Son the he placed me in your hands to receive the gift of eternal life.

Remain in me today, God, whether in times of quiet or commotion. Remind me I am in your hands. Saint Athanasius, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.”

In today’s Gospel, which continues from last week’s readings as he addresses the Pharisees, Jesus describes his relationship to the Father as the Good Shepherd. While the hired man, Jesus says, whose sheep are not his own, has no interest in caring for the sheep in time of danger, the good shepherd knows the sheep and they know him. Just as the Father knows Jesus, and Jesus knows the Father, the sheep know the good shepherd. Jesus speaks here of the love between the Father and the Son. For those who follow him and believe, the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep to take it up again in the resurrection. Jesus says, “This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.”

Do I recognize Jesus as the Good Shepherd and see the sacrificial love of the Son who does his Father’s will? Through his passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus calls us each by name to be brought into the same loving relationship with his Father to reconcile us to him in the hope of eternal life. God, help me understand how the Good Shepherd is not a remote concept, referring to some far-off people from long ago, but is the risen Christ present to me today in the people and events I encounter.

Be with me, Lord, throughout the day. From today’s Psalm, help me recall your love: “Send forth your light and your fidelity; they shall lead me on. And bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling-place.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent

Jesus said to his disciples, “In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells his disciples the parable of the lost sheep. He asks their opinion of whether a shepherd would leave his ninety-nine sheep to go in search of the one gone astray. And if he finds it, Jesus says, “he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.” He says this to teach the disciples about the extraordinary love of the Father for his beloved children. Rather than pity the ones who are lost, I have to think about the times that I have gone astray and waited for God to come in power to save me. As the Gospel acclamation says: “The day of the Lord is near; Behold, he comes to save us.” As we celebrate the feast of Saint Nicholas today, I’m reminded of his generosity through his life of service to the needy, the sick, and the suffering. Is Santa real, I have to ask myself? As long as we celebrate the life of Saint Nicholas among the communion of saints, yes, Santa is real.

Help me understand, Lord, the words of the Our Father in daily life: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Life passes quickly, and the strength and resolve of youth is transitory. Isaiah’s beautiful words in the first reading calls this to mind: “All flesh is grass, and all their glory like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower wilts, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it. So then, the people is the grass. Though the grass withers and the flower wilts, the word of our God stands forever.” Keep me in your care, God, and close to your word—to the word made flesh.

Jesus, Good Shepherd, help me stay close to you today. I know I will go astray. As Saint Paul says, “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.” Through your grace, keep me from the temptation that leads to sin and let me instead see and do your will. And when I fail, come find me and bring me back to you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus: Reflection

“And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ ”

I think of the Thomas Wolf novel You Can’t Go Home Again. In early adulthood, you might feel that as you go away to college and come back home, you find that everything seems different. Nothing at home is ever quite the same. That sense seems to grow over the next few years, punctuated by graduation, a first job, marriage, and children. You can’t go home again. Well, maybe. The question is, from the moment of birth until death, has earth really ever been home? When Jesus describes the finding of the lost sheep, he says, “with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors.” What home can Jesus mean except his Father’s kingdom, heaven? Who are the friends and neighbors but the beloved children of God, abiding in heaven? You can’t go home again? Well, yes you can.

God, help me understand that your son takes joy in doing your will and rejoices in returning the lost ones to you. On this solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the manifestation of Jesus’ love is All Heart—not as the world loves but caring for the lost sheep by giving us his body and blood, soul and divinity as the wellspring of all of the sacraments.

In “Birches,” Robert Frost says, “Earth’s the right place for love: / I don’t know where it’s likely to go better.” True enough. Love on this earth is all I’ve ever known. But this has never been home and will never be. I ask as a sinner myself, can returning home be as simple as acknowledging sinfulness and repenting? What is the result of that? He sets me on his shoulders and with great joy brings me home, to his Father’s home, to the only real home I will ever know.

Today, Sacred Heart of Jesus, let me follow you as you seek out the lost sheep and rejoice in finding them. Let me see what you do and I myself seek out and bring back the strayed, handing them over to you because I wouldn’t know on my own what to do with them. Even more, let me be found, and find me where I fall short. In the Gospel acclamation, Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.”

USCCB Readings

Audio