The Good Shepherd

Fourth Sunday of Easter

26 April 2026

 

First Reading: Acts 2:14a, 36-41

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b4, 5, 6

Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:20b-25

Gospel: John 10:1-10

 

Reflection

By: Benj Santiago

 

In a country longing for honest leadership and genuine care for the poor, Jesus as the Good Shepherd is a powerful model. 

He leads not through power, but through service, love, and sacrifice. This Gospel challenges Filipino leaders, parents, teachers, and citizens to protect, guide, and serve rather than exploit. 

In a society wounded by corruption and inequality, true leadership must reflect Christ’s heart. 

Our nation needs shepherds, not wolves—leaders who uplift the weak, protect the vulnerable, and place the common good above personal gain. 

Only then can our people experience the “abundant life” Christ promises.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd, guide our nation with Your heart of service and sacrifice. Raise leaders who protect the weak, defend the vulnerable, and choose the common good over personal gain. 

Heal us from corruption and injustice. Teach us all to lead with love, that our people may experience Your promised abundant life. Amen.

Abundance or Poverty

“ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

First Reading: Prov. 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31

When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize. She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life. She obtains wool and flax and makes cloth with skillful hands. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her fingers ply the spindle. She reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy. Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her a reward of her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

Second Reading: 1Thess. 5:1-6

Concerning times and seasons, brothers, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. Then people are saying, "Peace and security," then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.

Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30

" It will be as when a man who was going on a journey  called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents;  to another, two; to a third, one--to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five.  He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.' (Then) the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more. 'His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy. 'Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back. 'His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'

 Reflection
by Elizabeth Eguia

Life is what we make it. How we think, what we believe our life will be, will definitely happen.  I am one of the living proofs of this. More than six years ago, I had financial difficulty. I didn’t have a stable job. It went to a point when I was penniless, spent most of my savings and became dependent on my younger sister’s support. I was depressed and I felt ashamed considering my younger sister was just giving me budgeted money.  I cannot buy what I want. I cannot go to places on my own wherever and whenever I wanted to. In short, I felt trap. I felt I don’t have other place to go.

But the good news about this is, God has guided me in this troubled times. He really works in mysterious ways. He can make difficult situations turn into opportunities to make you the best person that you can be. And to make you realize there is a God who listens and who knows our heart's desire. At that time prayer was my weapon, my only source of strength as I face each day. When you feel depressed or in a negative mood, what happens is that the positive energy cannot flow inside us. So we need to condition our minds, our hearts, and our souls that everything will turn out great in spite of all this.

God’s guidance led me to make plans on what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. You will just be amazed of the doors of opportunities He will open for you and you just have to execute all the plans you have made. It did work for me.  Today, I have improved a lot financially speaking and became wiser by God’s grace compared to six years ago. All these are through our gracious God only! I wouldn’t have done it if wasn’t for Him, for the events, the people He has used to make me a better person.

Today’s Gospel is focused on abundance and poverty. God loves us so much that He has entrusted to us different blessings. It is only up to us to use them wisely. It doesn’t matter what's your current status in life right now. Whether you are rich or you are poor, He has allotted something to each one of us. That is how special we are to Him. Two key ingredients that we should not forget are: to thank God before the blessings come, when the blessings are continuously outpouring, and even after the blessings are received. Secondly, give back to God a portion of the blessings He has given us.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, we praise and glorify You for the gift of abundance You have given to each one of us. Grant us wisdom to use them wisely and make it grow a hundred or a million fold to help others and give back to You all the glory. This we ask in Jesus name. Amen.

Bask in God's Abundant Blessings!

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
10 July 2011


Come, let us rejoice in the Lord: let us acclaim God our salvation, alleluia.

First reading Isaiah 55:10-11
Thus says the Lord: ‘As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.’

Psalm: Psalm 64:10-14

Second reading Romans 8:18-23
I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us. The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons. It was not for any fault on the part of creation that it was made unable to attain its purpose, it was made so by God; but creation still retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of God. From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free.

Gospel Matthew 13:1-23
Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parables.
He said, ‘Imagine a sower going out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!’
Then the disciples went up to him and asked, ‘Why do you talk to them in parables?’ ‘Because’ he replied, ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to you, but they are not revealed to them. For anyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding. So in their case this prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled:
You will listen and listen again, but not understand,
see and see again, but not perceive.
For the heart of this nation has grown coarse,
their ears are dull of hearing, and they have shut their eyes,
for fear they should see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and be converted
and be healed by me.
‘But happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! I tell you solemnly, many prophets and holy men longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.
‘You, therefore, are to hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the evil one comes and carries off what was sown in his heart: this is the man who received the seed on the edge of the path. The one who received it on patches of rock is the man who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy. But he has no root in him, he does not last; let some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, and he falls away at once. The one who received the seed in thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this world and the lure of riches choke the word and so he produces nothing. And the one who received the seed in rich soil is the man who hears the word and understands it; he is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.’

Reflection
By Fely Santiago

But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

Four years ago we attended “How to be Truly Rich” and “Truly Rich Financial Coaching” of Bro Bo Sanchez. We listened, applied what we learned and we’re like fertile soil that have produce fruits a hundred or sixty or thirty fold. And now we are on our way to financial freedom! The feeling is great! This is really what the Lord desires for each one of us.

Now we have become the “sower” as a calling from God. I can still remember in Sept of 2007 I was asking God, “Lord what is my purpose? What is it that you want me to do? Jesus You speak to me through the words of the Gospels. May I respond to Your call today. Teach me to recognize Your hand at work in my daily living."

And God revealed these words from Luke 4:18-20 --

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save His people.

Over the past several weeks, it has been the delight I've longed for - to show you how much I love you. How I have wanted you to know how much I have desired to free your heart. And now that you have asked me what you can do - what return you could make for such love - I feel eager to invite you to be with me. Please be with me in the mission I have from my Father. "Because God has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor, to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers."

And I need you. I need your support and your free heart. It won't always be easy. But, we will be together, every time you are with me in loving. If you are with me in the struggle of love, we will grow together in love in ways I can only ask you to imagine. If you are with me in the dying to self-love that is our mission, then you will be with me in the fullness of life, forever. God's reign is at hand. Together we can bring it closer. Please be with me.

With this it was very really made clear what God wants me to do. I said YES to God. And I have confirmed this several times. Our mission is to spread financial literacy because in John 10:10 " I come that you may have life, and have it abundantly". God wants all of us to have an abundant life. But we have to be good stewards of the money God has entrusted to us. The biggest reason why people have money problems is because of MATERIALISM and FINANCIAL IGNORANCE. We should not be slaves to our DEBTS. Else we will continue to encounter financial struggles if we don’t follow the prosperity formula. Start by giving our tithes to God 10% no less. Give God the best fruits of our harvest. In Proverbs 5:9-10 "Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine." Then pay yourself first --save/invest 20% for your future. In Genesis 41:34 “…take 1/5 of the harvest during the 7 years of plenty. This will supply your needs during the 7 years of famine”. The financial crisis that is happening right now around the world is a famine. So what do we need to do? Educate yourself, raise your financial IQ. Study investing and learn how to diversify your investments then you secure your financial future and prepare yourself for “famine”. Lastly, live within your means. Spend only within the 70% of your income. Live simply. Don’t borrow money for emergencies or to buy consumables. Avoid impulse buying. By following this prosperity formula we can all be truly rich and be a blessing to others, producing fruits abundantly.

But just like the Gospel reading today, some seeds that we sow fell on the road, on rocky soil, among thorns and because they have no roots they withered. Sometimes we are also discouraged and frustrated, almost ready to give up when people don’t listen to us, reject us, don’t believe in us. But the mission continues because some seeds do fell on fertile soil bearing good fruits, making a difference to families - touching one person, one family at a time, coaching and mentoring them on the path to financial freedom!

How about you? Are you ready to receive God’s abundant blessings?

Lord, I believe this is the work of Your hands. Continue to use us to spread Your love and abundance. The mission is not always easy but full of rejections, setbacks, rough roads. But with You on our side we will endure, persevere, stay positive, knowing that one day, we shall have the abundant life You desire for each one of us. Amen.