GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY - April 17, 2016

 Sunday - April 17, 2016

Now is the time for repentance ... The words of Paul urge me to persevere in prayer (Col 4,2) and await You. Therefore, with trust I pray, for I well know your mercy, I know you come the first towards me, and I am calling out for help. Should you delay it is to give me the reward for perseverance, You who desire that all should be saved.

- Saint Romanos the Melodist

TODAY'S READINGS

 

April 17, 2016

 

« April 16  |  April 18 »

Fourth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 51

Reading 1ACTS 13:14, 43-52

Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga
and reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats.
Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism
followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them
and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.

On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered
to hear the word of the Lord.
When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.
Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said,
“It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first,
but since you reject it
and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life,
we now turn to the Gentiles.
For so the Lord has commanded us,
I have made you a light to the Gentiles,
that you may be an instrument of salvation
to the ends of the earth.”

The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this
and glorified the word of the Lord.
All who were destined for eternal life came to believe,
and the word of the Lord continued to spread
through the whole region.
The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers
and the leading men of the city,
stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and expelled them from their territory.
So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them,
and went to Iconium.
The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Responsorial PsalmPS 100:1-2, 3, 5

R. (3c) We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2REV 7:9, 14B-17

I, John, had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

Then one of the elders said to me,
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“For this reason they stand before God’s throne
and worship him day and night in his temple.
The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
They will not hunger or thirst anymore,
nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne
will shepherd them
and lead them to springs of life-giving water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

AlleluiaJN 10:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelJN 10:27-30

Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

**************************************************************************************** ***********

Christ Knows His Sheep!

Introductory Prayer: Lord, we continue celebrating the joy of Easter. This meditation is a privileged moment to experience this happiness. I offer you my faith and devotion.

Petition: Lord, help me to realize that I am known and loved infinitely!

1. God Is Not a Watchmaker: Philosophers and scientists of the Enlightenment were enthralled with Reason. They looked at the universe and saw logic and law, and they likened God to an expert watchmaker. He had created a Rolex of a universe and was now contentedly allowing his creation to run its course. The perfect and implacable laws of physics had freed him from the cares of creation — a visit to his celestial office would reveal a vacationing God “gone fishing.” This deistic notion of God is not the God we worship. Our God is an ever-present God, intimately concerned about his children. He has not forgotten about the world. He is not far away. He became man and even when his time came to leave this world, he devised a way to remain with us. Could God get any closer than being truly present within us through the Eucharist? He shows infinite intensity in the focus of his love. Anyone who threatens the sheep of this loving God does so at his own risk: “No one can take them out of the Father’s hand!”

2. Knowing the Sheep: This loving Father has a Son who is the perfect reflection of his being: “The Father and I are one.” The Son is a shepherd whose love, like the Father’s, is intense and personal: “I know [my sheep].” Human categories don’t do the divine reality justice. The human shepherd, after all, would be hard pressed to think of his sheep as individuals. When he looks at them, he sees a flock. When he speaks about them, the same word “sheep” will work both as singular and plural. But Jesus is the Shepherd unlike any human shepherd, just as his Father is the Creator unlike any human watchmaker. For Jesus, each sheep is an individual, loved with a unique love. When you come to Christ, you don’t need to wear a nametag. He knows your name!

3. Doing Our Part: If Jesus is the Shepherd unlike any human shepherd, we should be sheep unlike any typical wool-covered mammals. Their ardor for the next tuft of grass is such that the voice of the shepherd hardly suffices to keep them in the flock. Barking dogs are an essential element to good flock maintenance. But Christ’s sheep don’t need that kind of coercion. In prayer we “hear [his] voice.” May we never tire of belonging to the blessed flock of Christ! May we always listen and heed his voice.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, you are my Shepherd. With you, there is nothing I shall want. I will always keep my eyes fixed on your rod and staff. My courage will never falter if you are at my side.

Resolution: I will show spiritual leadership in my family today.

-- 

God Bless You.....

KONKANI PRAYER GROUP - Abu Dhabi

"Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone"  Mark 16:15