FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

April 30, 2023

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER 

1. Hear the Shepherd's Voice

2. He Calls Us by Name

Greeting (See Second Reading)

By the wounds of Jesus we have been healed.
We had gone astray like sheep,
but now we have come back
to the shepherd and guardian of our souls.
May Jesus our Good Shepherd
be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

1. Hear the Shepherd’s Voice

It is God our Father himself who has taken the initiative to love us. His love keeps calling each of us personally, and we hear his voice particularly through Jesus, our Good Shepherd, calling us. Do we hear his voice in our prayer, in the words he speaks to us in the Scriptures, or when he speaks to us from heart to heart in the Eucharistic celebration? And let us not forget too that Jesus speaks to us in the Church that appeals to us in the people who cry out their needs and love to us.

2. He Calls Us by Name

It is great to know that someone knows you by your first name, for that is already a sign of love. If this person is someone you trust, you can put yourself in his or her hands and feel very safe. Jesus presents himself today as a friend who knows and calls us to walk with him the road of life. He sticks to us through thick and thin; he shows us the way to follow. Under his leadership we can truly be a people, God’s people. With Jesus, our Good Shepherd, we now celebrate this Eucharist and learn from him to care for one another.

Penitential Act

At times we have turned a deaf ear
to the Lord calling us.
We ask God now to forgive us.
                  (pause)
Good Shepherd, let us hear your voice
in the challenging words you speak to us:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Good Shepherd, let your voice provoke us
to continue your work in the Church
and to make you known to all people:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Good Shepherd, make us recognize your voice
crying out to us in those in need and who suffer:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins.
Attune us to your voice calling us
and make us follow you all the way
to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray to God
that we may always listen to the voice
of Jesus, our Good Shepherd
                  (pause)
Lord our God, almighty and loving Father,
you have given us, your people,
a reliable and caring guide
to lead us to you and to one another,
your Son and our Good Shepherd Jesus Christ.
Stir our hearts with the words of the Gospel
as the message of good news for us today.
and help us to hear God's voice also
in the silence of our faith,
in the groaning of our miseries,
and in the words of encouragement and joy
of the shepherds of your Church
and of everyone who has a good word for us.
For there too speaks and calls
our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. R/ Amen.

First Reading (Acts 2:14,36-41): Called to Follow Christ

On Pentecost, Peter calls the Jews to follow Jesus Christ whom they have crucified. Through baptism they will be forgiven, will belong to him and to his community and be guided by his Holy Spirit.

Second Reading (1 Pt 2:20b-25): Saved by Our Shepherd

In a world full of injustice and suffering, we feel like straying sheep. Jesus has shared our lot. By giving himself totally for us he became our shepherd.

Gospel (Jn 10:1-10): Called to Follow Our Shepherd

Jesus is the good shepherd who does not abuse his power but knows us personally and is our gate to lasting happiness and joy.

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."

Intercessions

Let us pray with the fullest trust to Jesus, our Good Shepherd, for he takes care of the needs of all who follow him. Let us say: R/ Lord, guide us in right paths.

–   For the shepherds of the Church, that they may take Christ for their model and courageously lead the People of God to the kingdom of justice and love, let us pray: R/ Lord, guide us in right paths.

–   For all Christians everywhere, that they may become one holy people of God; for those who have lost their faith, that our Christian living may be so credible as to inspire them to return to Christ, let us pray: R/ Lord, guide us in right paths.

–   For those in tasks of Christian formation, that they themselves may know where they are going and lead those entrusted to them on roads of life and commitment to God and to their brothers and sisters, let us pray: R/ Lord, guide us in right paths.

–   For the leaders of nations, that they may promote the freedom and dignity of people, and place justice and the quality of life above personal gain and power, let us pray: R/ Lord, guide us in right paths.

–   For our youth and young adults, that they may have the courage to make themselves totally free for the work of the Lord if he calls them to special tasks in the Church, let us pray: R/ Lord, guide us in right paths.

Lord Jesus Christ, we entrust all these cares to you. And do not forget us, for we rely on you. our shepherd and our Lord. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God, our Father,
your Son and Good Shepherd Jesus Christ
spreads for us the table of the Eucharist;
he calls each of us by name
to share his meal with him.
We can only bring bread and wine before you.
He will give himself to us.
Let him lead us into your own house,
and in the meantime help us
to nourish one another on our journey
with kindness, hope and justice,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

We have now reached the core of the Mass, the Eucharistic prayer. We recall in it how Jesus, our Good Shepherd laid down his life for us to give us life to the full. Let us thank the Father with one heart and one voice.

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

Led by Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd,
we pray to our Father in heaven
to give us food that nourishes our bodies
and the bread of life of the Eucharist. R/ Our Father...

Prayer for Peace

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles:
I leave you peace, my peace I give you.
Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church
and hear your people’s plea for peace and unity
in the Church and in the world.
Be the Good Shepherd of all,
that there may be only one flock and one shepherd,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus, our Good Shepherd.
He calls each of us by name
and invites us to share his table,
that he may give us life to the full.
Happy are we to listen to him. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God, eternal Shepherd of your people,
it was good to hear the voice of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Good Shepherd,
and to receive him as the food of life.
Let him lead us to a valley of peace
where we will learn from him
to call each other by name,
to have time and space for one another
and to give not just gifts but ourselves,
that others may live and be free.
Let this be a token and pledge
of the joy of your eternal home.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing

In this Eucharistic celebration
we have grown in love and trust
in Jesus, our Good Shepherd.
Through him we have also grown in trust in each other
and in a sense of belonging and community.
When our Shepherd brings us together,
what else can we do than realize
that we belong together as God’s people
and that, like our Lord,
we have to live for one another.
May you put this into practice these days
with the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in peace and let Christ be your guide. R/ Thanks be to God.

Reflection:

30 April 2023
John 10:1-10
Recognize The Shepherd’s Voice

The 4th Sunday of Easter is celebrated as the Good Shepherd Sunday and today is the 60th World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

A sheepfold in the Palestinian settings of Jesus’ times was an enclosure surrounded by stone walls on which were placed bundles of thorns. Brambles are allowed to grow on them to prevent sheep from exiting and thieves from entering the sheepfold. The enclosure could be in front of a house, built outdoors, or on a mountain slope. Several shepherds could use a single sheepfold built on a mountain slope together to bring their sheep at night; they would take turns staying awake and keeping watch while others slept.

Armed with a stick, the gatekeeper squatted at the entrance to the fold that had no door. In that position, he himself became “the door.” Only those whom he allowed to pass through could approach the sheep. Jesus assumes the role of the one who watches over the sheep-fold; hence, in the second part of today’s Gospel, Jesus says he is “the Gate.”

Upon recognizing the shepherd’s steps and voice, the sheep would immediately follow him when the night was over. From this experience of the people of the land, Jesus narrates this parable.

The true shepherd knows his sheep by their names and calls them “one by one.” For Jesus, an anonymous crowd does not exist. He cares about each of his sheep. He pays attention to each of their gifts, strengths, and weaknesses. This is what we read about God in Isaiah’s prophecy: “He carries the lambs in his bosom, gently leading those that are with young” (Is 40:11). He understands their difficulties and helps and respects them.

There are also thieves and bandits around. Who are they? It could be the religious and political leaders who wear the mask of shepherds but in reality, are greedy for dominance and exploitation; their methods of doing so are violence and lies. Jesus uses three verbs to summarise their works of death: They steal, kill and destroy.

Today’s Gospel emphasizes the “voice of the shepherd,” which is heard, recognised, and immediately distinguished from that of strangers. After the resurrection, the disciples could not recognize Jesus when they saw him face to face. He was mistaken for a wayfarer, a ghost, or a gardener, but His voice was unmistakable, and they recognized him.

The Good Shepherd Sunday is a reminder and an invitation for every disciple of Jesus to cultivate a heart of a true shepherd who is not satisfied with fulfilling the minimum requirements. We are all shepherds. Gospel warns us not to behave like the hired hands who always have much to complain about and are satisfied with fulfilling the given duties.

Recognize The Shepherd’s Voice - Youtube