Reading 1 ACTS 2:14A, 36-41 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice, and proclaimed: “Let the whole house of Israel know for
certain that God has made both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,
and they asked Peter and the other apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?”
Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is made to you and to your children
and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.”
He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them,
“Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added
that day.
Responsorial Psalm23: 1-3A, 3B4, 5, 6 R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing
I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
With your rod and your staff that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Reading 2 - 1 PT 2:20B-25 Beloved:
If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good,
this is a grace before God.
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.
He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.
When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten;
instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross,
so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed.
For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd
and guardian of your souls.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel JN 10:1-10 Jesus said:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through
the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a
robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow
him, because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was
trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
This is the 4th Sunday of Easter.
During the Easter season, we often hear from the Acts of the Apostles.
This book has lots of exciting and interesting stories of the beginning of the Church.
These first Christians were excited about the faith, went all around the world sharing
it, and were even willing to die for it.
They preached about Jesus, and in today’s 1st reading, we hear Peter speak.
Peter is with the Eleven apostles, the other close followers of Jesus whom he sent out
to spread the Good News.
All Christian teaching comes from the authority of the apostles.
It is apostolic.
Peter says, “Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made both Lord
and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Peter is very confident.
“Lord and Christ” means that Jesus is the new David, the fulfilment of Israel’s
hope.
Jesus isn’t a random teacher, he is the Messiah of Israel, the one anointed by God.
But we killed the Lord and Christ in our sin.
It wasn’t just Romans or Jews who lived a long time ago who killed him, but everyone,
you and me, now.
Jesus died like a criminal even though he is God, and we did it.
This isn’t an easy thing to hear.
Peter isn’t trying to be nice or get people to like him, but lets God speak through him.
When we speak, we try to be like Peter, telling the truth, and never forgetting that Jesus
is our Lord and God who loves us to death.
Like the people listening to Peter, we ask, “what are we to do?”
“Repent!”
We are called to change our ways to live with the Lord.
Peter also says “save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
Many people live their lives not thinking about what God wants for them.
If we say we are Christians, but act just like everyone else, we are not living the
way Jesus tells us to.
We try to do God’s will, and he is here to help us.
Like Peter, we let the Lord speak through our words and actions every day!
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