20-second Summary
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is the Good Shepherd. We are his people, the flock He shepherds. What does it mean to be a sheep? How can we be better sheep to the best Shepherd? We reflect on the meaning of the love of God for us in our relationship with Him. This relationship is a gift for us to be active participants.
Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Catechesis At Home – Fourth Sunday of Easter – Year C
Fourth Sunday of Easter – Good Shepherd Sunday
First Reading
Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga
and reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats.
Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism
followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them
and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.
On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered
to hear the word of the Lord.
When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.
Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said,
“It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first,
but since you reject it
and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life,
we now turn to the Gentiles.
For so the Lord has commanded us,
I have made you a light to the Gentiles,
that you may be an instrument of salvation
to the ends of the earth.”
The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this
and glorified the word of the Lord.
All who were destined for eternal life came to believe,
and the word of the Lord continued to spread
through the whole region.
The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers
and the leading men of the city,
stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and expelled them from their territory.
So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them,
and went to Iconium.
The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm
R (3c) We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R Alleluia.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R Alleluia.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R Alleluia.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R Alleluia.
Second Reading
I, John, had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
Then one of the elders said to me,
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
“For this reason they stand before God’s throne
and worship him day and night in his temple.
The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
They will not hunger or thirst anymore,
nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne
will shepherd them
and lead them to springs of life-giving water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Gospel Reading
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said:
“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.”
The Good Shepherd Deserves Good Sheep
REFLECTION – Christ the Good Shepherd
“He made us, his we are; his people, the flock he shepherds.” Psalm 100:3
“The Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them.” Revelation 7:17
“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27
This is Good Shepherd Sunday, a particular reflection on the Priestly mission of Jesus. Combined with this reflection, the Church also asks us to pray in a special way for priestly and religious vocations.
Last week, we reflected on Jesus passing on this ministry to Peter. This week lets look at being good sheep to the Good Shepherd.
First of all – He made us. Why? Out of love – the perfect love of the Trinity is so great that it overflows into creative power and we are created out of this love, for love. We are His. Not only as His creatures, but also His children, through baptism. We are His even more than we are our parents’. We are bound to Him by a covenant that is stronger than biology or legal adoption. He swears by Himself that we are His People – the flock He shepherds.
The Lamb, Christ, is our king and our Good Shepherd. We are subjects and helpless without his loving, selfless leadership. That leadership includes wiping away our tears, comforting us and guiding us to Him and His eternal salvation.
He speaks and we hear Him. His words are everlasting life (John 6:68). He knows us. More than our spouse, best friend, mom or dad, brother or sister knows us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our thoughts, our weaknesses, our gifts and strengths, and our potential. And He loves us, He tends us, He shepherds us.
DISCUSSION – Am I a Good Sheep?
This week discuss with your family in what ways we are good sheep and in what ways we can be better. Use these questions to get the discussion started:
How well do we allow Jesus to shepherd us? How well do we attend to hear His word? How well do we follow when we do hear? What can we do to better hear Him and follow Him?
Let us pray in a special way this week for the grace to hear and follow Him. And we pray for those He calls to the priesthood and religious life to hear and follow with glad and joy-filled hearts.
ACTIVITY – Becoming Better Sheep
We all want to be better disciples of Christ. We all desire to bring more people – especially friends and relatives into the sheepfold. This week make one conscious effort to invite someone to join you: in prayer, to go to Mass with you and your family, to have lunch or coffee or soda together just to visit (build relationship), or a Bible study or class at your parish or in the community. You could also invite them to listen to an episode of On the Road to Perfection that you happened to like very much and then talk about it together.
The Good Shepherd works with and through His sheep to reach other sheep. Let’s all allow Him to work in and through us!
DIG DEEPER – Other Good Shepherd resources from Holy Owned and Operated:
Page: Easter Resources
TWMWU: Feed My Sheep
TWMWU: The Lord Worked with Them
TWMWU: What Does Ephphatha Mean? Be Opened!
Podcast: How to be a Disciple – Episode 42
Podcast: Discerning God’s Will Part 1 – Episode 74
Podcast: Discerning God’s Will Part 2 – Episode 75
How am I a good sheep to my Good Shepherd?
by Beth & Kristofer Cowles
HOO™ Co-Founders
Other Help on HOO
Caring For Our Earthly Home – Episode 95
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:35 — 22.7MB)
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One of the seven social teachings of the Catholic Church, caring for our earthly home is intimately connected to every part of our life.
After quoting an 80s video game and Monty Python, Beth and Kristofer dive into this topic with Kristofer making sure everyone knows he is not a tree hugger.
Then they go on identifying birds and trees as they walk by. Well, the topic is what the topic is – and they do answer the question we all have about that environment issue.
Yeah, that one.
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