Wednesday, April 25, 2012

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – 2012


«  We continue the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. 

«  This coming Sunday, 4th of Easter, the universal Church invites us to meditate and to pray for vocations especially to the priesthood and religious life.    

«  The Pope in his message says that the vocation comes from the unconditional love of God, the Creator. He invites us to pass this message on to the younger generations. 

«  The three readings tell us that Jesus has given his life for us and in turn invites us to do the same for our brothers and sisters.

«  The Good Shepherd calls us to unity.

«  The responsorial psalm says that He is the stone rejected by the builders. 

¡ALELUYA, JESUS THE LORD IS RISEN!!!! 

 FIRST READING  – Acts  3: 13-15. 17-19
«  Peter filled with the Holy Spirit speaks to the leaders of the people to let them know that they(Peter and John)  did not do the  miracle they just have seen, they have done it in the name of Jesus. 

«  In each one of the Sundays of the Easter season we have heard as a refrain: This Jesus Christ whom you killed, the Father raised him. 

«  He is the cornerstone rejected by the builders, and it is now the stone which supports the building. 

«  Peter repeats again that, there is no salvation in any other name, but in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 

Psalm 118:1.8-9,21-23,26,21,29
Ø  This is a psalm of thanksgiving and praise for the wonderful works that God has made. 

Ø   Most probably this psalm was used in the liturgical celebrations of the people of Israel.

Ø  The refrains speak of two actions of the liturgy: the entrance into the Temple and the procession to the altar.

Ø  The psalmist gives thanks to God for his wonderful actions, for having listened to him, because THE LORD IS GOOD, HIS MERCY IS EVERLASTING. 

Ø  ¿For which of the wonderful works of God in our life, do we want to thank him and sing his mercies?   

SECOND READING: 1 Jn 3:1-2
*      It is a very short Reading, only two verses, but rich in meaning.  

*      The author speaks of the love the Father has shown to us. 

*      Since we are not only called sons and daughters, but we really are. 

*      This is the reason that the world does not know us, and does not accept us, because they have neither known nor accepted God as Father. 

*      The author says that we already are children of God. Yes, we are children of God from our baptism. 

*      But everything is in shadows, without being able to see clearly. 

*      When “he appears” we will be like Him, and we will see him as He is. 

*      What  is the meaning of this words “he appears”, does John mean the Second Coming of the Lord? or does he mean our personal encounter with the Lord at the end of our earthly journey?    

GOSPEL JOHN  10:11-18
«  The Reading for this coming Sunday is taken from the discourse of the Good Shepherd.   

«  In the first part Jesus says that he is the door of the flock, a beautiful image but we will not read this part on Sunday. 

«  In the second part of this discourse Jesus says “I am the Good Shepherd”  

«  And he describes what it means to be the good shepherd: 

o   The good shepherd gives his live for the sheep.  This is what Jesus has done, He loves us so much that he has given  his life for us. Like the shepherd that lays at night at the entrance of the fold to protect the sheep from the wolfs, from evil. (the fold did not have a door, thus the shepherd slept at the entrance of the fold and in so doing he was like the door of the fold.)  

o   The two verses that follow describe the difference between the shepherd, owner of the sheep and the hired hand who works for a salary.  

o   Jesus repeats what he said in verse 11“I am the good shepherd” 

o   The Good Shepherd not only defends, protects and gives his life for the sheep, but 

o   The Good Shepherd knows his sheep, and the sheep know him. 

o   Let us reflect for a moment on the biblical meaning of the verb to know: 

§  To know is not only an intellectual action   

§  In the knowing the mind, the heart, the passion, the affection, the will, the intelligence, the imagination and the action are involved.  

§  It is the verb that the Old Testament uses to describe the loving intimacy between a couple, a man and a woman.  

The sheep have an intimate and deep relationship with Jesus his or her shepherd; a relationship similar to the relationship between the Father and the Son in the Most Holy Trinity. 

o   Because of this “knowledge”, to this deep intimacy between Jesus and the sheep, He gives his life so the sheep may have abundant life.   

o   What a beautiful image!  Our Shepherd invites us to enter into the intimacy between the Father and the Son in the Most Holy Trinity.   

o   For this he has died and rose again, and has ascended to the Father taking us with him and giving us his Spirit his love. 

o   THANK YOU GOOD SHEPHERD!

«  After that Jesus says that he has other sheep which are not yet in the fold. 

o   They are all our brothers and sisters who do not know yet their Shepherd, who have not yet entered into the fold. 

o   But the Good Shepherd has to find them and teach them to recognize his voice. 

o   The voice of the Shepherd, it is not an audible voice. It is the voice which resounds in the mot inner recesses of our being, and leads us to the “knowledge” of our Shepherd.    

o   All the sheep that hear, listen to, and know the Shepherd form one fold, because the voice of the Shepherd resonates within him or her, and this unites us to the only Shepherd and among ourselves. We are no longer estrangers to each other or enemies, we are THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF THE RISEN LORD and of ONE ANOTHER.   

«  Jesus says something that makes us wonder: the Father loves Jesus because He lays down his life to take it again. 

«  Nobody takes his life from him; He has the power to give it and the power to take it again. He is the Lord.    

«  This is the mission he has received from the Father.  

«  We have a long way to go as followers of Jesus, our Teacher and Shepherd we need  

o   A welcoming heart to seek the lost sheep, those that are not yet in the fold with us, those who do not know the voice of the Shepherd, and to accept them as part of our family, our church.  

o   A rejoicing heart because our brother or our sisters has come into the fold with us. 

o   A generous heart willing to give his or her life for the brothers and sisters, as Jesus did. 

o   A patient heart because each one enters into the fold at his or her own time. 

CLARETIAN CORNER 
 


I had made many acts of abandonment and self- offering in the arms of the Divine providence in the midst of so many perils, being certain and most sure  that God is never short of means to help his children in their necessities even in that immense space of waters where we had no other refuge than the violent waves . This faith so alive, that God has put in my soul made me rest in the midst of so many fights. And in this way God willed to show that the one who puts all his hope in his infinite power would never be confounded. Venerable María Antonia París, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters. Autobiography 152.   

Then, speaking of infidels in general,  she(St. Mary Magdalene of Pazis) would say, "If I could, I would gather them all together and bring them to the bosom of the Church, that She might purify them of all their infidelities and regenerate them as her children, drawing them to her breast and nourishing them with the milk of the sacraments. How well she would feed and nurse them at her breasts! Ah, if I could bring them to her, how gladly would I do it!"San Antonio María Claret, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters. Autobiography 260.  

BIBLIOGRAFÍA
CLARET, Antonio María. Autobiography.
FLOR SERRANO, Gonzalo. Los Salmos en Comentario al Antiguo Testamento II. La Casa de la Biblia 1997.
PARIS, María Antonia. Autobiografía en Escritos(Writings), with commentaries by Juan Manuel Lozano.
RAVASI, Gianfranco. Según las Escrituras. Año B. Ediciones San Pablo. Bogotá 2005.
SCHÖKEL, Luis Alonso. Commentaries to the  BIBLIA DE NUESTRO PUEBLO. Ediciones Mensajero. China 2010

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