22APL-'24, Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter

Lectionary: 279

Reading 1

Acts 11:1-18

The Apostles and the brothers who were in Judea

heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God.

So when Peter went up to Jerusalem

the circumcised believers confronted him, saying,

'You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them."

Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying,

"I was at prayer in the city of Joppa

when in a trance I had a vision,

something resembling a large sheet coming down,

lowered from the sky by its four corners, and it came to me.

Looking intently into it,

I observed and saw the four-legged animals of the earth,

the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky.

I also heard a voice say to me, 'Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.'

But I said, 'Certainly not, sir,

because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'

But a second time a voice from heaven answered,

'What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.'

This happened three times,

and then everything was drawn up again into the sky.

Just then three men appeared at the house where we were,

who had been sent to me from Caesarea.

The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating.

These six brothers also went with me,

and we entered the man's house.

He related to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, saying,

'Send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter,

who will speak words to you

by which you and all your household will be saved.'

As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them

as it had upon us at the beginning,

and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said,

'John baptized with water

but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us

when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,

who was I to be able to hinder God?"

When they heard this,

they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying,

"God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too."

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3, 4

R. (see 3a) Athirst is my soul for the living God.

or:

R. Alleluia.

As the hind longs for the running waters,

so my soul longs for you, O God.

Athirst is my soul for God, the living God.

When shall I go and behold the face of God?

R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Send forth your light and your fidelity;

they shall lead me on

And bring me to your holy mountain,

to your dwelling-place.

R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Then will I go in to the altar of God,

the God of my gladness and joy;

Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,

O God, my God!

R. Athirst is my soul for the living God.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Alleluia

John 10:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;

I know my sheep, and mine know me.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

John 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 he 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,

they 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.”

Reflection 1

Catholic Daily Reflections 

Recognizing the Voice of God

“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.” John 10:2–4

Do you recognize the voice of the Shepherd? Does He lead you each and every day, guiding you into His holy will? How attentive are you to what He speaks each day? These are some of the most important questions to ponder.

Recognizing God’s voice is something that many people struggle with. There are often many competing “voices” that speak to us each and every day. From the latest news in the headlines, to the opinions of friends and family, to the temptations all around us within the secular world, to our own self-drawn opinions, these “voices” or “ideas” that fill our minds can be hard to sort through. What is from God? And what is from other sources?

Recognizing the voice of God is indeed possible. First of all, there are many general truths that God has already spoken to us. For example, everything contained in the Holy Scriptures is the voice of God. His Word is alive. And when we read the Scriptures, we become more and more familiar with God’s voice.

God also speaks to us through gentle inspirations that result in His peace. For example, when considering a certain decision you may need to make, if you present that decision to our Lord prayerfully and then remain open to whatever He wants of you, oftentimes His answer comes in the form of a deep and certain peace of heart.

Learning to recognize the voice of God in your daily life is accomplished by building an interior habit of listening, recognizing, responding, listening some more, recognizing and responding, etc. The more you hear the voice of God, the more you will recognize His voice in the most subtle of ways, and the more you come to hear the subtleties of His voice, the more you will be able to follow. In the end, this is only accomplished by an ongoing habit of deep and sustaining prayer. Without that, it will be very difficult to recognize the voice of the Shepherd when you need Him the most.

Reflect, today, upon how attentive you are to God in prayer. What does your daily prayer look like? Do you spend time each day listening to the gentle and beautiful voice of our Lord? Do you seek to form a habit by which His voice becomes clearer and clearer? If not, if you do struggle in recognizing His voice, then make the decision to establish a deeper habit of daily prayer so that it is the voice of our loving Lord Who leads you every day.

Reflection 2

One Bread, One Body 

HEAR THE HOLY SPIRIT TODAY

“God has granted life-giving repentance even to the Gentiles.” —Acts 11:18

It might seem that the controversies of the first-century Church could be dry reading to modern eyes. However, the way this particular controversy, told in today’s first reading, was handled by the Church meant that ultimately everyone reading this teaching now has the opportunity to be saved!

If the members of the early Church were not listening closely to the Holy Spirit, they could have closed their hearts to the leading of the Spirit, relied on the historical precedent of their forefathers, and decided that only practicing Jews could be Christians (see Acts chapters 11 and 15).

This would mean that most of us would be excluded from God’s Kingdom, unless we converted to Judaism. However, “God has granted life-giving repentance even to the Gentiles,” that is, to non-Jews (Acts 11:18). Now everyone has access to Jesus and to eternal life (see Eph 3:8-12).

If you were aware that the decisions you make today would impact the salvation of people two thousand years from now, how would you act? Hopefully, you would be moved to listen attentively to the Holy Spirit today (Gal 5:25). “Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (see Heb 3:15; cf Ps 95:7-8). It may be only one person that would receive salvation by observing you; nonetheless that person might lead thousands to salvation. Therefore, live for Jesus today so others will live for Him in the future (see Ps 22:31-32).

Prayer:  Father, grant that we would listen and obey today so that people of future generations will choose to live for Jesus.

Promise:  “I came that they might have life and have it to the full.” —Jn 10:10

Praise:  Imitating her beloved Blessed Mother, Sandra forgave the drunk driver who killed her son.

Reflection 3

Shared from God's Word

The image of Jesus as the good shepherd is a picture most of us are familiar with from our childhood. These pictures depict Jesus carrying the sheep either on his shoulders or close to his bosom. Today’s Gospel reveals that Jesus is familiar with the life of shepherds and their closeness to their sheep. Moreover, Jesus is aware of thieves and robbers entering the sheepfold at times. But the sheep do not listen to them. It is in such a situation as this that Jesus compares himself as the door of the sheepfold and assures life in its fullness to all those who enter through him. Do I recognize the voice of Jesus, my good shepherd, whenever he calls my name? Am I prepared to experience abundant life as promised by him?

Prayers

Jesus, my Good Shepherd, You speak to me each and every day. You are constantly revealing to me Your most holy will for my life. Help me to always recognize Your gentle voice so that I can be led by You through the challenges of life. May my life of prayer become so deep and sustaining that Your voice always echoes within my heart and soul. Jesus, I trust in You.

Lord Jesus, you always lead me in the way of true peace and safety. May I never doubt your care nor stray from your ways. Keep me safe in the shelter of your presence.

Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy

Reflection 112: Love of God Increases Our Desire for God

When you love God and rejoice in that love, your desire for God will increase.  The more you know Him, the more you will want to know Him, and the more you want to know Him, the more you will know Him.  Similarly, the more you love Him, the more you will want to love Him, and the more you want to love Him, the more you will love Him.  Finally, the more you serve Him, the more you will want to serve Him, and the more you want to serve Him, the more you will serve Him.  Knowledge, love and service increase the desire for these, and the increase in desire for these three increases each one (See Diary #525).

Do you want to know, love and serve God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength?  Hopefully you do.  How is this achieved?  It’s achieved by growing in these virtues and allowing them to increase your desire for them all the more.  Look, today, at your desires.  Inquire, within, about the desires of your heart.  If you do not see a wholehearted desire to know, love and serve God, then commit yourself to these ends by choosing them.  From there, the Lord will take over and direct you in accord with His own merciful Heart.

Lord, increase my desire for You and for Your Divine Will.  Help me to know, love and serve You with my whole being.  Increase, also, my desire for You in these ways.  Jesus, I trust in You.