Good Shepherd Sunday

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Fourth Sunday of Easter Mass Readings

Reading 1: Acts 4:8-12
Responsorial: Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29
Reading 2: 1 John 3:1-2
Gospel: John 10:11-18

https://bible.usccb.org/Bible/readings/042521.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Welcome! I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and I’m so glad you’re here! Together, let’s break open the Word! This weekend marks the Fourth Sunday of Easter when we celebrate Jesus who is the Good Shepherd. Why? Because in today’s Gospel, he says, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11). On this Sunday, the Church asks us to pray for vocations. We pray for all vocations of course! But today we are asked to focus our attention for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life. And by consecrated religious life I mean all those men and women who join religious orders to serve as priests, brothers and sisters, monks and nuns. So, please keep vocations and all young people discerning God’s call for their lives on your mind as we celebrate mass this weekend and in your prayers this week.

Where do future priests and consecrated religious – and for that matter, future bishops and deacons – come from? Vocations come from families. So, as we contemplate Jesus the Good Shepherd, we must begin with ourselves. All of us are part of families – even if we don’t have children – we have nieces and nephews and maybe grandchildren and friends whose children are practically family. So, we begin our contemplation on ourselves.

To begin that exercise, we turn our attention to the second reading today which comes to us from the First Letter of John. What do we hear proclaimed from John today? John says, “Beloved, we are God’s children now” (1 John 3:2).

Where do we find language like that in Scripture?

Earlier this year, we heard the baptism of Jesus proclaimed from the gospel account according to Mark. God says, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). Jesus’ ministry begins when he heard God’s reassurance that he is God’s beloved.

Now we hear John tell us that since we are children of God, we – each and every one of us – is a beloved of God. We are loved so dearly that each of us who are baptized in Christ Jesus is called a child of God! Just meditate on that for a while! Try to absorb that!

Living our lives as someone so deeply loved by God – that by itself is enough to change how we face each and every day! But wait! There’s more!

In the Gospel, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father” (John 10:14). So, now Jesus says that he is our shepherd and that we, the beloved of God, are his flock. He knows us and we know him just like he knows the Father and the Father knows him.

This isn’t just a casual arrangement. No! Jesus means that he understands us – everything about us. And Jesus says that’s how we are supposed to know him. Now let’s think about that for a second.

I’m sure you’ve all heard some variation of this story before, but it’s worth repeating today. There was a dinner party – pre-pandemic of course – there was a dinner party and one of the guests was a famous actor. Everyone asked the actor if he would recite some bit of script for them. He said he would like to recite Psalm 23, but only if another invited a guest, a priest, recites it after him. Everyone starts clapping and saying “yes, yes, yes!” And the kind priest agreed.

So, the actor stood up and began, “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want” (Psalm 23:1). And he goes on and on and when he’s finished, the whole crowd stands up clapping and cheering! And then the actor says, “Thank you, thank you! But, let’s all quiet down please. Everyone take your seats. Father, if you please.”

And the kindly old priest stood up and said, “The-Lord-is-my-shepherd—there-is-nothing-I-shall-want.” When he finished reciting the entire psalm, everyone was quiet. Some of the guests wiped tears from their eyes. The actor stood up again and said, “you know what the difference is between the two of us, don’t you? I know the psalm, but Father knows the shepherd.”

My brothers and sisters, you and I are invited to know Jesus the Good Shepherd. I suggest that will take a little more time than whatever time you spend in mass. How can we encourage people young or old who are discerning God’s plan for their lives to take up the mantle of the Good Shepherd if we don’t know the Shepherd?

So, on this Fourth Sunday of Easter, we gather to worship and praise Jesus the Good Shepherd, but we also recommit ourselves to deepening our knowledge of Jesus through prayer, study, reading the lives of the saints, and self-examination. Do we see fruits from knowing Jesus? Are we growing in virtue and controlling our vices?

Jesus says, “they will hear my voice” (John 10:16). Isn’t that wonderful? No matter my sin, no matter how badly I’ve been behaving of late, because I am beloved, Jesus will still call my name! There is mercy in his voice! That doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences. But the Shepherd says to me, “get up off the floor! This pity party is over! There’s work to be done!”

What great hope we all can find in Jesus, the Good Shepherd! It is out of our hope, our love, our knowing God that enables us to encourage people in our own families to dedicate their lives to the service of the church and the whole world as priests and consecrated religious.

Homework! Nourished by the Good Shepherd through the Word and Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following questions.
First, let’s continue our assignment from last week: what steps am I taking to deepen my relationship with Jesus?
Second, how can I encourage vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life from within my family, my circle of friends and my parish?

I think doing our homework can help us live out our discipleship. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image Credit: El Buen Pastor. Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-82), ca. 1660; Museo del Prado, Madrid. (Public domain image from Wikimedia Commons) JPG.

Notes: I am indebted to Fr. Larry Richards and the Reason For Our Hope Foundation for the inspiration for this homily https://thereasonforourhope.org/.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Anderson, Kelly and Daniel Keating. James, First, Second, and Third John. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2017. Kindle.
2. Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2018. Kindle.
3. Kurz, William S. SJ. Acts of the Apostles. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. We are God’s children now: 1, 104, 239, 1692, 1709, 2009, 2736
2. Salvation in Jesus alone: 161, 432
3. Seeing God in the beatific vision: 163, 1023, 2519
4. Pope and bishops as shepherds: 553, 857, 861, 881, 896, 1558, 1561, 1568, 1574
5. Jesus’ self-offering: 606-9
6. Christ the Shepherd and the Gate: 754, 764, 2665
7. Christ the cornerstone: 756
8. Catholicity: 831
9. The church’s mission: 849-56
10. Priests as shepherds: 874, 1120, 1465, 1536, 1548-51, 1564, 2179, 2686
11. Revelation that we are children of God: 1692

Fourth Sunday of Easter https://bible.usccb.org/Bible/readings/042521.cfm
Lectionary: 50

Reading 1
Acts 4:8-12
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said:
“Leaders of the people and elders:
If we are being examined today
about a good deed done to a cripple,
namely, by what means he was saved,
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.
He is the stone rejected by you, the builders,
which has become the cornerstone.
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.”

Responsorial
Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29
R. (22) The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or R. Alleluia.
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.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or R. Alleluia.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD;
we bless you from the house of the LORD.
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his kindness endures forever.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or R. Alleluia.

Reading 2
1 Jn 3:1-2
Beloved:
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.
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.

Alleluia
John 10:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
John 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.
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.
This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
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.”

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