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Our Sunday Reflection - April 21, 2024
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The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:11-18
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Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day
Today we are reminded that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, committed to caring for his sheep through every danger, difficulty, and trauma. He told his disciples that he would lay down his life for his sheep. Indeed, this is exactly what he did. By laying down his life for our sins, he conquered death and raises us to eternal life with him. Let us allow the risen Lord to guide us to the idyllic pasture of salvation.Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
On Good Shepherd Sunday, we begin by hearing Peter insist that whatever good he has done is actually the saving work of Jesus Christ. It is by his death and resurrection that we can be healed, that we can be saved. Once rejected, Jesus has become the cornerstone. John asserts that we are all God’s children. Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd, who will even lay down his life for his sheep. Let us listen to God’s word, grateful that the cornerstone of our faith is our Good Shepherd.Reflections
- Paul quotes Psalm 118 when he states that Jesus is “the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone” (Acts 4:11). Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith, to be sure, for his life, death, and resurrection provide its foundation. We are called to make him the cornerstone of our lives as well so that we may be living temples of the Lord, embodying his message and the mission he left us. We do so when we give of ourselves to God and to others.
- John tells us that we are God’s children. Children are formed by their parents, perhaps genetically, perhaps by the way they were raised, perhaps by the influence of their parents’ personality and character. So too are we formed by God, made in God’s image, cared for by God, and influenced by our understanding of God. Jesus, as God’s Son, has given us a model of how to live as a child of God. Jesus put the Father’s will first, obedient to the end. As we recite in the Lord’s Prayer, we too pray that we do the will of the Father in the way that we live our lives.
- Jesus is the Good Shepherd, willing to lay down his life for the sheep. He tells his disciples that he received this command from the Father. So too have we, called to die to our own selves to raise up the lives of others, whether sacrificing our time and energy to care for a young child, an aging parent, a loved one who is ill, or a friend in need. In doing so we are entrusting our lives to the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for us and takes up our lives with his to eternal salvation.
Question of the Week
In what specific way can I lay down my life this week for someone who needs what I can give them?
-from Pastoral Patterns
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readings of the mass
LISTEN HERE to the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, April 21, 2024
SELECT HERE for the Readings of Sunday, April 21, 2024
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Offerings
The Sunday offerings are a portion of our blessings that we give to God (Church) in gratitude to what God has done for us...ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS -
Reflections on the readings
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