Fourth Sunday of Easter

 

The Lord is truly risen.

Invitation

May I take this opportunity to draw your attention to:
the daily reading of the Gospel?

This invitation aims to share with you the joy of the Gospel.
Everyone, without exception,
can experience that joy by opening their heart
to the healing power of God’s word.

Available every day.

Introduction
Jesus uses the image of the shepherd
to express his love for God’s people.
He is a shepherd who knows his sheep by name,
goes before them and lays down his life for them.
On Vocations Sunday, we pray for all
who wish to follow in Jesus’ footsteps as shepherds to others.
This year, our attention turns in particular to:
callings to the priesthood.
We ask God for new shepherds
who lead his people in faith
and bear witness to the life He gives.

FIRST READING              Acts2, 14a, 36–41

God has made him both Lord and Christ.

From the Acts of the Apostles

On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the eleven,
and raised his voice to address the crowd:
“Let it be known to the whole house of Israel, without a doubt,
that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified,
both Lord and Christ.”

When they heard this, they were deeply moved;
and they said to Peter and the other apostles:
“What shall we do, men, brothers?”

Peter replied to them:
“Repent;
and let each of you be baptised
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
“Then you will receive the Holy Spirit as a gift.
“For this promise is for you,
your children, and all people everywhere,
as many as the Lord our God will call.”

With many other words he bore witness,
and he exhorted them:
“Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”

Those who accepted his message were baptised,
so that on that day
about three thousand people were added to their number.

Responsorial               Ps . 23 (22), 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

Refrain:
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
He leads me to green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters,
He restores my soul.

He guides my steps along the right paths
for the sake of his Name.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me.
Your rod and Your staff
give me courage and confidence.

You invite me to Your table,
to the annoyance of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Good fortune and blessing shall never leave me,
every day of my life.
The house of the Lord shall be my dwelling place
for all time to come.

SECOND READING                1  Pet. 2, 20b-25

You have turned to the Shepherd of your souls.

From the first letter of Saint Peter the Apostle

Beloved,

Endure patiently whatever you suffer
for your good deeds,
for this is what pleases God.
It is also your calling,
for Christ suffered for you,
leaving you an example;
you must follow in his footsteps.

He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.
When he was reviled,
he did not revile in return.
When he suffered,
he did not threaten.
He entrusted himself
to him who judges justly.
In his own body,
he bore our sins on the cross,
so that we might die to sin
and live for righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed.

For you were straying like sheep,
but now you have returned
to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Vers for theGospel      John   10, 14

Alleluia.
I am the good Shepherd, says the Lord,
I know my own and my own know me.
Alleluia.

GOSPEL             John 10, 1-10

I am the gate for the sheep.

From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John

At that time, Jesus said:

“Truly, truly, I say to you:
Whoever does not enter the sheepfold through the gate,
but climbs in by another way,
he is a thief and a robber.
“But whoever enters through the gate,
is the shepherd of the sheep.
“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him.
“The sheep listen to his voice;
he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
“And when he has brought his sheep out,
he goes before them,
and they follow him, because they know his voice.
“But they will not follow a stranger;
on the contrary, they will flee from him,
because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Jesus told them this parable,
but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

On another occasion, Jesus said to them:
“Truly, truly, I say to you:
I am the gate for the sheep.
“All who have come before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep have not listened to them.
“I am the gate.
“If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved;
he will go in and out and find pasture.
“The thief comes only to steal,
to slaughter and to destroy.
“I have come that they may have life,
and have it to the full.”

________________________________________________________

Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCIS

On Care for Our Common Home

97. The Lord was able to invite others to notice the beauty present in the world because He Himself was constantly in contact with nature and regarded it with affection and wonder. As he travelled through every corner of his land, he would pause to contemplate the beauty sown by his Father and invited his disciples to realise that things contain a divine message: “Lift up your eyes and look at the fields; they are white, ripe for harvest (John 4:35)”.
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man sowed in his field.
Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it has sprung up, it is greater than the other garden plants:
it becomes a tree” (Matt. 13:31–32).

To be continued every day at1 am