Daily Liturgy
Tuesday April 27
the Spirit of Jesus calls us, as he called your Son,
to abandon our old selves and our old world
to be free for new life and growth.
Forgive us our fear and hesitations,
lead us out of our worn-out phrases and habits,
and our self-made certainties,
steep us in the Gospel of your Son,
that his Good News may become credible
in our times and our world.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Reading 1: ACTS 11:19-26
Those who had been scattered by the persecution
that arose because of Stephen
went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,
preaching the word to no one but Jews.
There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however,
who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well,
proclaiming the Lord Jesus.
The hand of the Lord was with them
and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 87:1B-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (117:1a) All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I tell of Egypt and Babylon
among those who know the LORD;
Of Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia:
“This man was born there.”
And of Zion they shall say:
“One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD.”
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
“This man was born there.”
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
“My home is within you.”
R. All you nations, praise the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia: JN 10:27
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: JN 10:22-30
The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem.
It was winter.
And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
“How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me.
But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
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.”
Intercessions:
Let us pray today for the missionary Church and say: Lord, hear our prayer.
– That the Church may never tire of preaching Christ as the Risen Lord, we pray:
– That the Church may never tire of asking the Lord to make it ever new and to be attentive to the signs of the times, we pray:
– That Christians may live in such a way that their life of faith attracts people to Christ, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Loving Father,
the bread and the wine on this table
speak to us of a journey into the future
to go together with your Son.
Change us as you change these gifts,
and transform us into the image of your Son.
Make us into people who dare to stand up
to speak your message without fear
in the language our times understand,
people who have the courage
to go new ways when demanded,
yet always loyal to your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord forever.
Prayer after Communion
Loving Father,
we are glad that we are called Christians,
men and women who follow Christ, your Son.
May we remain faithful to him
with a steadfast commitment
and fill us with the grace of the Lord,
that the Holy Spirit may live in us
and that we too may bring many to the Lord
and be worthy of the name
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
May the grace of God be at work in us to keep us faithful with steadfast commitment, that we may be true disciples of Christ. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
“If you really are the Messiah, tell us so in plain words!” Here the problem faced by the Jews was, Jesus did not correspond to the Messiah or Christ of their understanding and imagination. They were certain that Jesus had extraordinary powers and ordinary people flocked to him to listen to him. And now Jesus identifying himself as a shepherd of his people raises concern for the religious leaders.
With a good grasp of the texts of the scripture, the religious leadership in Israel looked forward to a future king who would shepherd his people after the model of David. This future king carried the Jewish title Christ/Messiah. King David who had been a shepherd before being anointed the king, was lovingly regarded as the greatest Shepherd-King. Jews who questioned Jesus had a good knowledge of the of prophecies and psalms and therefore, they indeed suspected the claim of Jesus to be the shepherd: Would he be the Messiah the scriptures have foretold? But the problem was, they were not willing to accept a messiah, who did not conform to their imagination and understanding.
Misconceptions about Jesus could be a huge hinderance to people’s faith in God. How often do we hear people complaining that they do not want to believe in a God who does not answer their prayers or in a God who allowed misfortunes and tragedies to happen? They would prefer to believe in a God who confirms to their idea of God.
Once again Jesus emphasises on the requirement of listening: “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” Listening to the voice of God – the Word of God – seems to be the paramount requirement to belong to Jesus. In the Gospels, the term “hear” means to listen, to understand, to assimilate and to carry out what is heard.
Who are the people who listened to this voice of the shepherd and followed? His chosen disciples and the people who accompanied him … They listened to his voice, allowed his words to make amends in their lives. And to them, Jesus assures their reward: they are already in eternal life with God and to eternity they will not perish. Safe in the hand of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the disciples are safe in the Father’s hand, the original shepherd of Israel [Ezekiel 34:15]. Remember, Jesus had given a similar assurance when he talked about the bread of life [Jn 6:37, 39].
As always, Words of Jesus evokes two types of reactions – some believe and others do not. Faith comes from listening… when you don’t listen, there cannot have faith in Jesus