Reading I
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 Psalm
Ps 23: 13a, 3b4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.


Reading II
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.


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."

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Reflections on this weeks readings...


Today is `Good Shepherd’ Sunday. The Gospel for all three years has the `Good Shepherd’ theme. The readings are all taken from Chapter 10 of St. John’s Gospel, but there is a different passage for each year. In today’s Gospel, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, echoes the words of Ezechiel who castigated the Jewish Leaders of his day for failing to be true shepherd to their people. Jesus attacks the Jewish Religious Leaders of his day for the same reason.

It was the custom for several shepherds to work together. The sheep were `penned’ each night. The shepherds took it in turns to across the entrance to the sheepfold so that `thieves, brigands’ and wolves could not get in to kill the sheep. Jesus described himself as the Good Shepherd who was `the Gate’ to the sheepfold. In the morning each shepherd would call his own sheep. They would hear his voice, and because he came that `they may have life and have it to the full’ they followed him as he led them to pasture.

The Eucharist is the place where Jesus, the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep, calls us to repent of our sins so that we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who seeks to ensure that we draw the nourishment we need as we are fed with God’s Word in the Scriptures, and with Jesus’ Body and Blood in Holy Communion.

Jesus chose to suffer. He offered his sufferings to the Father to make amends for our sins, and to reconcile us to the Father. So suffering must have a value, a `salvific’ value.

Pope John Paul taught this in his Apostolic Letter on Suffering: `Salvifici doloris’. But he taught it even more eloquently by the way he accepted suffering and offered his suffering to God for `the salvation of souls’.
Suffering, voluntarily accepted and offered to God in union with Christ’s sufferings, for the spiritual benefit of other, is the highest form of love. We may accept this in our mind, but we know how difficult it can be to live it out in our lives. We need God’s constant help if we are to follow the example of the Shepherd St. Peter said: `did nothing wrong, was insulted and did not retaliate, was tortured and made no threats, who put his trust in the righteous judge’.

Suffering takes many forms: sickness, disease, physical and emotional abuse, painful relationships within the family, hunger, thirst, bereavement etc. How have you suffered? What did you DO with your sufferings? Do you know anyone else who is suffering at this time…a friend, a neighbour, a colleague at work? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you, and them, to make use of your sufferings; to accept suffering voluntarily, and to offer them for the benefit of others.

Lots of people, all over the world, have been touched by the life, suffering and death of Pope John Paul. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to guide the Cardinals of the Church as they face the onerous task of choosing his successor.

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