Fourth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 50
Ir-Raba’ Ħadd tal-Għid
Peter,
filled with the Holy Spirit, said: "Leaders of the people and elders: If
we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what
means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know
that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom
God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is
the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under
heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved."
Qari I
- mill-Ktieb tal-Atti
tal-Appostli 4, 8-12
F’dak
iż-żmien, Pietru, mimli bl-Ispirtu s-Santu, wieġeb:
“Kapijiet tal-poplu u xjuħ, intom illum qegħdin tistħarrġuna fuq il-ġid li għamilna lil wieħed marid, u biex dan fieq.
Mela kunu afu intom ilkoll, u l-poplu kollu ta’ Iżrael: jekk dan ir-raġel hu hawn quddiemkom qawwi u sħiħ, dan ġara bis-saħħa tal-isem ta’ Ġesù Kristu ta’ Nazaret, li
intom sallabtuh u Alla qajmu mill-imwiet. Dan Ġesù
hu l-ġebla li intom, il-bennejja, warrabtu u li saret il-ġebla tax-xewka. F’ħadd ħliefu ma hemm salvazzjoni, għax imkien taħt is-sema ma hemm isem ieħor mogħti lill-bnedmin li bih aħna għandna nkunu salvi”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm - PSALM
118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29
Give
thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for
his mercy endures forever.
It
is better to take refuge in the LORD
than
to trust in man.
It
is better to take refuge in the LORD
than
to trust in princes.
R. Alleluia.
I
will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and
have been my savior.
The
stone which the builders rejected
has
become the cornerstone.
By
the LORD has this been done;
it
is wonderful in our eyes.
R. Alleluia.
Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the LORD;
we
bless you from the house of the LORD.
I
will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and
have been my savior.
Give
thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for
his kindness endures forever.
R. Alleluia.
Salm Responsorjali - Salm
117 (118), 1.8-9.21-23.26.28ċd.29
Faħħru l-Mulej, għaliex hu tajjeb,
għax għal dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu!
Aħjar tiskenn fil-Mulej
milli
tittama fil-bnedmin.
Aħjar tiskenn fil-Mulej
milli
tittama fil-kbarat.
R/.
Hallelujah
Niżżik
ħajr talli weġibtni
u
kont għalija s-salvazzjoni tiegħi.
Il-ġebla li warrbu l-bennejja
saret
il-ġebla tax-xewka.
Bis-saħħa tal-Mulej seħħ dan:
ħaġa tal-għaġeb f’għajnejna.
R/. Hallelujah
Imbierek
minn
Inberkukom
minn
Alla
tiegħi, jien lilek inkabbar.
Faħħru l-Mulej, għaliex hu tajjeb,
għax għal dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu!
R/. Hallelujah
Reading
2 -
1 JOHN 3:1-2
Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children
of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not
know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been
revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is.
Qari II
- mill-Ewwel Ittra ta’ San Ġwann
3, 1-2
Għeżież, araw b’liema għożża ħabbna l-Missier; nistgħu nissejħu wlied Alla, u hekk aħna tassew. Għalhekk id-dinja ma tagħrafniex, għax ma għarfitx lilu. Għeżież, issa aħna wlied Alla, imma x’se
nkunu ’l quddiem mhuwiex irrivelat lilna. Madankollu nafu li meta jidher hu, aħna nkunu bħalu, għax narawh kif inhu. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej.
Gospel
JOHN 10:11-18
Jesus
said: "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the
sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees
a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and
scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the
sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the
Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the
sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must
lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it
up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to
lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from
my Father." This is the Word of the Lord.
Evanġelju - Qari
skont San Ġwann 10, 11-18
F’dak
iż-żmien, Ġesù qal: “Jiena r-ragħaj it-tajjeb. Ir-ragħaj it-tajjeb jagħti ħajtu għan-nagħaġ tiegħu. Il-mikri, li mhuwiex
ir-ragħaj, u li n-nagħaġ mhumiex tiegħu, jara l-lupu ġej, u jħalli n-nagħaġ u jaħrab; u l-lupu jaħtafhom u jxerridhom. Mikri
hu, u ma jħabbilx rasu min-nagħaġ. Jiena r-ragħaj it-tajjeb; jiena nagħraf in-nagħaġ tiegħi, u n-nagħaġ tiegħi jagħrfu lili, bħalma l-Missier jagħraf lili u jiena nagħraf lill-Missier; u għan-nagħaġ tiegħi nagħti ħajti. Għandi wkoll nagħaġ oħra, li mhumiex minn minn
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Jesus, the Beautiful and
Noble Shepherd
Commentary by Fr. Thomas
Rosica, CSB
In
the Bible and in the ancient Near East, "shepherd" was a political
title that stressed the obligation of kings to provide for their subjects. The
title connoted total concern for and dedication to others. Tending flocks and
herds is an important part of the Palestinian economy in biblical times. In the
Old Testament, God is called the Shepherd of Israel who goes before the flock
(Psalm 68:7), guides it (Psalm 23:3), leads it to food and water (Psalm 23:2),
protects it (Psalm 23:4), and carries its young (Isaiah 40:11). Embedded in the
living piety of believers, the metaphor brings out the fact that God shelters
the entire people.
In
Psalm 23, the author speaks of the Lord as his shepherd. The image of shepherd
as host is also found in this beloved psalm. Shepherd and host are both images
set against the background of the desert, where the protector of the sheep is
also the protector of the desert traveler, offering hospitality and safety from
enemies. The rod is a defensive weapon against wild animals, while the staff is
a supportive instrument; they symbolize concern and loyalty.
The
New Testament does not judge shepherds adversely. They know their sheep (John
10:3), seek lost sheep (Luke 15:4ff.), and hazard their lives for the flock
(John 10:11-12). The shepherd is a figure for God himself (Luke 15:4ff.). The
New Testament never calls God a shepherd, and only in the parable of the lost
sheep (Luke 15:4ff.; Matthew 18:12ff.) does the comparison occur. Here God,
like the rejoicing shepherd of the parable, takes joy in the forgiveness and restoration
of the sinner. The choice of the image reflects vividly the contrast between
Jesus' love for sinners and the Pharisees' contempt for them. It can be said
that the Emmaus story in Luke's Gospel (24:13-35) is a continuation of Jesus'
journey, his pursuit of wayward disciples which was already prefigured by the
parable of the shepherd who went in search of lost sheep until he found them
and returned them to the fold (15:3-7).
Confidence
On
the Fourth Sunday of Easter, traditionally called Good Shepherd Sunday, we
encounter the Good Shepherd who is really the beautiful or noble shepherd [in
the Greek text] who knows his flock intimately. Jesus knew shepherds and had
much sympathy for their lot and he relied on one of his favorite metaphors to
assure us that we can place our confidence in him. For those who heard Jesus
claim this title for himself, it meant more than tenderness and compassion;
there was the dramatic and startling degree of love so great that the shepherd
is willing to lay down his life for his flock.
Unlike
the hired hand, who works for pay, the good shepherd's life is devoted to the
sheep out of pure love. The sheep are far more than a responsibility to the
good shepherd -- who is also their owner. They are the object of the shepherd's
love and concern. Thus, the shepherd's devotion to them is completely
unselfish; the good shepherd is willing to die for the sheep rather than
abandon them. To the hired hand, the sheep are merely a commodity, to be
watched over only so they can provide wool and mutton.
The
beauty of Jesus, our Good Shepherd, lies in the love with which he offers his
life even unto death for each and every one of his sheep. In so doing, he
establishes with each one a direct and personal relationship of intense love.
Jesus' beauty and nobility are revealed in his letting himself be loved by us.
In Jesus we discover the Father and his Son who are shepherds who care for us,
know us and even love us in our stubbornness, deafness and diffidence.
Sometimes,
it seems that followers are expected to put the needs of the leader first. The
people are the means to an end: the leader's pleasure. Does it not often seem
that shepherds are first, sheep last? The emphasis in today's readings is on
the sheep and their welfare. The shepherd is the means to ensure the end: the
well-being of the flock. Sheep are first, shepherds last. John's gospel
portrays Jesus as the life-giving shepherd.
Vocations
This
year the Fourth Sunday of Easter is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
The readings are very fitting for as we beg the Lord of the harvest and of the
Church to send more labourers into his vast vineyards. As a model of religious
leadership, Jesus shows us that love can be the only motivation for ministry,
especially for pastoral ministry. He also shows us that there must be no
exclusiveness on the part of the religious leader. If there are sheep outside
the fold (even sheep excluded by the fold itself), the good shepherd must go
fetch them. And they must be brought in, so that there will be one flock under
one shepherd. The motivation for inclusion is love, not social justice, not
ethical fairness, not mere tolerance, and certainly not political correctness
or impressive statistics. Only love can draw the circle that includes everyone.
Shepherds
have power over sheep. As we contemplate Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we call to
mind everyone over whom we exercise authority -- children, elderly parents, our
coworkers and colleagues, people who ask us for help throughout the week,
people who depend on us for material and spiritual needs. Whatever title we
bear, the rod and staff we carry must be symbols not of oppression but of
dedication. Today's readings invite us to ask for forgiveness for the times we
have not responded to those for whom we care, and ask for the grace to be good
shepherds. We fix our eyes anew on the Good Shepherd who knows that other sheep
not of this fold are not lost sheep, but his sheep.
One
final thought on shepherding. Anthropologists tell us that between the hunting
and the farming stages of cultural development shepherds stood as people who
existed in both worlds and tied them together. For that reason, shepherds
appear in ancient myths and sagas as a symbol for the divine unity of
opposites. What the ancient pagans hinted at, Christian faith has brought into
a crisp reality with Jesus Christ as the great reconciler. He is the Good
Shepherd, who has come into the center of every great conflict in order to
establish beauty, unity and peace.
May
it be ever so for each person who strives to be a good shepherd today, in the
Church and in the world. As we enter those places of conflict and tribulation
in our own times, may the Lord use us as his instruments to establish beauty,
nobility, unity and peace.
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