FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – 2021
« We continue celebrating the
Resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
«
On This fourth
Sunday the Church will meditate and pray for vocations.
«
The Pope says
that the vocation comes from the unconditional love of God our creator. He
invites us to pass on this message to the new generations.
«
The readings remind
us that Jesus has given his life for us.
«
He is the corner
stone rejected by the builders, as we repeat in the psalm.
ALLELUIA! JESUS THE LORD IS RISEN!!!!!!!
FIRST READING – Acts 4:8-12
«
Peter, filled with
the Holy Spirit speaks to the leaders of his people to explain the miracle
which they just have witnessed. They did not do the miracle in their own name,
but in the name of Jesus.
«
He reminds them
also that they condemned Jesus to death, but God raised him up.
«
All these Easter
Sundays we hear a refrain, as if it was a background melody: Christ Jesus whom you killed and the Father
has raised.
«
This Jesus is the
cornerstone which the builder rejected, and which is now the stone which supports
the building, the church.
«
Peter repeats over
and over again “there is no salvation in any other name, but only in the mane
of Jesus.
« It is Jesus who calls and sends us to share our gifts with every man and woman who lives with us in this planet earth, that common house according to the words of Pope Francis.
Psalm 118:1.8-9,21-23,26,21,29
The stone which
the builders rejected
Has
become the cornerstone
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.
The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the cornerstone
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
The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the cornerstone
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 has been my savior.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good
For his kindness endures forever.
The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the cornerstone
Ø
This is a psalm
of thanksgiving and praise for the wonderful works that God has made.
Ø
In this psalm we find individual and also
communal expressions.
Ø
It seems to be a
liturgical psalm.
Ø
The psalmist gives
thanks to God FOR HE IS GOOD, FOR HIS
MERCY IS EVERLASTING.
Ø For what wonderful work of God in our life, do we want to thank him and sing his mercy toward us?
SECOND
READING : 1 Jn 3:1-2
This reading is
very short but very rich in meaning.
The author speaks
of how great is the love that the Father
has shown to us.
Because he has
called us, therefore we truly are his
children.
For this same
reason the world does not know us, and does not accept us, as it did neither recognize
nor accept Him as Father.
We already are God’s
children.
But all of this
is like in a shadow; we cannot see him clearly.
When he appears,
we will be like him and we will see him as he is.
“When he appears”
may be a reference to the second coming of the Lord or to the encounter of each
one of us with him at the end of our earthly journey.
Today it is a day
to pray for vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life. (I invite you to read the message of Pope Francis
for the day of prayer for vocations, which you will find in the Vatican web.)
GOSPEL OF JOHN 10:11-18
« The reading for this coming Sunday is taken from the
speech of Jesus on the Good Shepherd.
« In the first part, which we will not read today, Jesus speaks of the gate for the sheep.
« In the second part he says “I am the good
shepherd”
« And he continues saying what to be a good shepherd
means:
o The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.
This is precisely what Jesus has done; so much great is his love for us, his
sheep. Like the good shepherd who lies down at the entrance of the gate becoming himself the gate, to protect
the sheep from the wolf, because the
sheepfold did not had a gate to protect the flock.
o The next two verses describe the difference between
the mercenary and the shepherd.
o He says again “I am the good shepherd”
o The Good Shepherd defends the sheep and gives his life
for them
o He knows his sheep; the sheep know him.
o Let us reflect on the biblical meaning of the verb “to
know”
§ To know someone is not only to know intellectually
§ In this knowing the mind, the heart, the passion, the
feelings, the will, the imagination and the body are involved.
§ This verb is used when the bible speaks about the deep
love and relationship in marital life
o The sheep have an intimate and deep relationship with
their shepherd Jesus; very similar to
the relationship between the Father and his Son (Jesus)
o As a consequence of this knowledge, this intimate love
between Jesus and his sheep, He gives his life so that they may have abundant
life.
o What a wonderful image! Our shepherd invites us to
enter into the deep intimacy which he has with the Father in the Trinity.
o For this he has died, he is risen and he has ascended
into heaven taking us with him, as a warrior takes the spoils of war with him.
o
THANK YOU GOOD SHEPHERD!
« In the next section Jesus says that he has other sheep
which do not belong to the same fold.
o These are all our brothers and sisters who do not know
yet our Shepherd, they are not yet part of the flock.
o But the Good Shepherd has to find them, and they will
listen to his voice
o The voice of the Shepherd, it does not mean only a
voice heard with our ears. It is the voice which resonates in our heart, and
which leads us to the knowledge of the Shepherd.
o In the same way as the human love between a man and a
woman. It begins with an external
attraction between the two of them, and as they relate to each other this
attraction leads to the intimate knowledge between them.
o All the sheep that hear, listen to and know the Shepherd
form one flock, because the knowledge of the Shepherd, his voice resonates in
their most inner being, and bonds us to the Shepherd and among ourselves. We
are strangers no more, we are enemies no longer, we are BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF
THE RISEN LORD AND AMONG OURSELVES.
« Jesus tells
something that makes us wonder: The Father loves him because he gives his life
to get it back again.
« Nobody takes his life from him; He himself gives it
because he has the power to give it and to take it back. He is the Lord.
« This is the mission he has received from the
Father.
« We have a long way in front of us, as followers of
Jesus, our Teacher and Shepherd.
o The openness of our heart, to seek, with him, the
sheep who are not yet with the Shepherd and with us
o The welcoming so that they feel part of our faith
family.
o This openness and welcoming cannot have any limits
caused by resentments, vengeance, judgments on the life of our brothers and
sisters who are not yet with us.
o The joy experienced when a brother or a sister comes
back or comes for the first time to our family.
o Each one of us may look into his or her own heart to
discover the doors closed so often by our vindictive justice.
o Each one of us needs to work in a close relationship
with our Shepherd to learn how to give life, like he has given his life for the
lost sheep, which all of us are.
o The reality is that each one enters into the flock at our own pace, time and process. Who welcomes us is the Shepherd who invites all of us to be also welcoming of those who have not yet begin the journey or are at the beginning or at any other moment of their journey.
CLARETIAN
CORNER
J.M.J
To
Rev. M. Antonia de S. Pedro
Madrid, December 2 1864
My dear Mother in J.C.: I have received your kind
letter from the 18th of the present month, and in response I have to
tell you that I am glad for the hope that the Diocese of Tarragona has given to
you, to establish there a house.
I
do not understand why you interpreted in a negative way my silence, when there
is not any reason for this.
I
did not have anything especial to write about, and thus I would have considered
a loss of time, which I need so much for so many things; I have given exercises
to diverse groups of Nuns, Sisters and the day before yesterday I arrived at the
Escorial where I gave the spiritual exercises to all, those who live in the
Monastery are many and they give great hope for our project[1].
I ask Jesus many times every day, to let me know what he wants me to do in relation
with our projects; because I am ready to work and to die for his love. Several times
He has said to me internally that it is not yet the time, I have consulted with
zealous persons of my entire trust and they say the same. I understand that
before building the ground has to be cleaned […] meanwhile young people are being prepared in knowledge
and virtue, because the others are too rotten and we can count very little on them ; however, we try to make the best of the
good that might still exist, so that they might be able to keep the fruit made by the Missionaries, at this
end I have published the booklet The Common Life.
We
are offering good books to the people, since we cannot send yet missionaries,
and to this end I have written the Rules for the Public Libraries, which all like
them very much. These libraries are spreading marvelously, even in the Army, so that the soldiers may have good books to
read, instead of bad books. It is a blessing from God.
I wish to you and to all the Sisters very happy feasts of the birth of the Child Jesus; this past night I have had the Pontifical Mass in the Chapel of the Adoration Sisters. I have preached to them and I have made them realize how Jesus from the manger teaches us the perfect Christian life… Letters from the Origins. Letter 233 from Anthony Mary Claret to Mother M. Antonia Paris.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
FLOR SERRANO, Gonzalo. Los Salmos
en Comentario al Antiguo Testamento II. La Casa de la Biblia 1997.
RAVASI, Gianfranco. Según las Escrituras. Año B. Ediciones
San Pablo. Bogotá 2005.
RELIGIOSAS DE MARÍA INMACULADA
MISIONERAS CLARETIANAS, Cartas de los Orígenes. Madrid 2009.
SCHÖKEL, Luis Alonso. Comentarios
en la BIBLIA DE NUESTRO PUEBLO. Ediciones Mensajero. China 2010
[1]
The project he is referring is the Renewal of the Church designed some time
before by Mother Antonia…
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