Fourth
Sunday of Easter
| First reading | Acts 2:14,36-41 |
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On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: ‘The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.’
Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, ‘What must we do, brothers?’ ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered ‘and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.’ He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them, ‘Save yourselves from this perverse generation.’ They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.
Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, ‘What must we do, brothers?’ ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered ‘and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.’ He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them, ‘Save yourselves from this perverse generation.’ They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.
| Responsorial Psalm |
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| Psalm 22(23) |
| Second reading | 1 Peter 2:20-25 |
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The merit, in the sight of God, is in bearing punishment patiently when you are punished after doing your duty.
This, in fact, is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow the way he took. He had not done anything wrong, and there had been no perjury in his mouth. He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults; when he was tortured he made no threats but he put his trust in the righteous judge. He was bearing our faults in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our faults and live for holiness; through his wounds you have been healed. You had gone astray like sheep but now you have come back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
| Gospel Acclamation | Jn10:14 |
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me.
Alleluia!
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me.
Alleluia!
| Gospel | John 10:1-10 |
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Jesus said:
‘I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.’
Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them.
So Jesus spoke to them again:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
I am the gate of the sheepfold.
All others who have come
are thieves and brigands;
but the sheep took no notice of them.
I am the gate.
Anyone who enters through me will be safe:
he will go freely in and out
and be sure of finding pasture.
The thief comes
only to steal and kill and destroy.
I have come
so that they may have life and have it to the full.’
Reflection
by Fely Santiago
“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”
This is one of my favorite Bible verses where I draw strength whenever things do not happen as expected. I just hold on to God’s promises and just stay in faith. But what is life to the full? Or abundance? Is it just about having all the money in the world? When we speak of abundance it’s not just about the money. Yes money is part of it because we cannot help others if we have no money but is not everything.
In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks about Him being the Good Shepherd, being the door of the sheepfold. And the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. If we truly understand it, this is what living life to the full means. To be willing to die to ourselves daily, carry our cross to love others. And when you experience this kind of love, it brings a lot of fulfillment because we fill our life caring for and sharing with others.
And where do we draw our strength so we can live life to the full? It is living a life with Jesus. Without Him, we can do nothing. We need to listen to the Good Shepherd in our prayers, worship and study of His word so we can have a fruitful life. It is like a pail of water that is filled to overflowing because it is aligned to the faucet. The faucet is God and the water are the blessings.
Today and every moment of our life, let us set our mind and heart in seeking the Lord and truly we can live and enjoy the abundant life He has in store for us! God wants us to live an abundant life. In Jeremiah 29:11 is another promise. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future!” God wants us to enjoy the fullness of the earth and experience His goodness everywhere we go.
It is easy for some people to get stuck in a rut, doing the same things over and over again all the time. To experience the abundance of life that God has prepared for us we need to die to ourselves, to our comfort zone and and go to the door that God has opened for us outside of our comfort zone! Outside our comfort zone is our courage zone. We need to take some risks in loving and serving others. Let us open ourselves to meet new people, new experiences and new ideas and make a room for God to reveal Himself to us and work in different ways in our life. When we go to our courage zone, we stretch ourselves, we increase our abilities and we increase our influence in the world around us.
Today, I can say that I am living my life to the full making full use of the gift that God has given me. I finally found my vocation and purpose in helping people, transforming their lives. And I am so blessed in all areas of my life. That is why I cannot help but pay forward for the abundant life God has given me – my holy, happy, healthy, wealthy and worthy family, my spiritual community, my best friends, my business and mission, my travels. God is great!
This week make the decision to live a full life. Explore something new. Take a different route from home to work. Be open to meet new people who might be able to lead you to your breakthrough. Let God direct and broaden your horizons. Follow the door that God opened for you for new opportunities, for you to grow and stretch so you can live the full, satisfied, fulfilling life the Lord has in store for you!
This is one of my favorite Bible verses where I draw strength whenever things do not happen as expected. I just hold on to God’s promises and just stay in faith. But what is life to the full? Or abundance? Is it just about having all the money in the world? When we speak of abundance it’s not just about the money. Yes money is part of it because we cannot help others if we have no money but is not everything.
In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks about Him being the Good Shepherd, being the door of the sheepfold. And the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. If we truly understand it, this is what living life to the full means. To be willing to die to ourselves daily, carry our cross to love others. And when you experience this kind of love, it brings a lot of fulfillment because we fill our life caring for and sharing with others.
And where do we draw our strength so we can live life to the full? It is living a life with Jesus. Without Him, we can do nothing. We need to listen to the Good Shepherd in our prayers, worship and study of His word so we can have a fruitful life. It is like a pail of water that is filled to overflowing because it is aligned to the faucet. The faucet is God and the water are the blessings.
Today and every moment of our life, let us set our mind and heart in seeking the Lord and truly we can live and enjoy the abundant life He has in store for us! God wants us to live an abundant life. In Jeremiah 29:11 is another promise. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future!” God wants us to enjoy the fullness of the earth and experience His goodness everywhere we go.
It is easy for some people to get stuck in a rut, doing the same things over and over again all the time. To experience the abundance of life that God has prepared for us we need to die to ourselves, to our comfort zone and and go to the door that God has opened for us outside of our comfort zone! Outside our comfort zone is our courage zone. We need to take some risks in loving and serving others. Let us open ourselves to meet new people, new experiences and new ideas and make a room for God to reveal Himself to us and work in different ways in our life. When we go to our courage zone, we stretch ourselves, we increase our abilities and we increase our influence in the world around us.
Today, I can say that I am living my life to the full making full use of the gift that God has given me. I finally found my vocation and purpose in helping people, transforming their lives. And I am so blessed in all areas of my life. That is why I cannot help but pay forward for the abundant life God has given me – my holy, happy, healthy, wealthy and worthy family, my spiritual community, my best friends, my business and mission, my travels. God is great!
This week make the decision to live a full life. Explore something new. Take a different route from home to work. Be open to meet new people who might be able to lead you to your breakthrough. Let God direct and broaden your horizons. Follow the door that God opened for you for new opportunities, for you to grow and stretch so you can live the full, satisfied, fulfilling life the Lord has in store for you!
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the being the source of our life! You are our loving and BIG God, We open our heart and mind to You today. Thank You for Your Hand of blessing that is leading and guiding us. Give us courage to step out of our comfort zone, blessings others so we can experience the full life You have for us in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
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