April 25
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intentions
4:00 PM – Ed & Rosemary Coolican / Family (Wedding Anniversary)
7:30 AM – Anthony Fiacco / Fr. Vavonese
10:30 AM – Pamela Hancock / mother, D. Petta
5:00 PM – John Stach / Richer Family
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Readings
First Reading
Acts 4:8-12
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.”
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29
R. (22) The stone rejected by the builders 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.
R. The stone rejected by the builders 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.
R. The stone rejected by the builders 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 have been my savior.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his kindness endures forever.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
Second Reading
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.
Gospel Acclamation
John 10:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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.”
“The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.”
Reflection
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” As we hear this message and realize that we are the sheep, we should feel humbled. We may forget that Jesus is out there watching over us. Sheep in the field go about their life, often paying little attention to the shepherd until danger presents itself. They lead a carefree life because of the shepherd, who is always watching out for them. We are able to lead our lives as well because Christ is watching over us, but unlike the sheep in the field, we have a responsibility to communicate with our Shepherd. Jesus wants us to communicate with him, to pray, to ask, and to praise his works. Not only with our lips do we do this, but also by the way we live our lives.
Jesus has laid down His life for us! We see that every time we look intently at a crucifix. We should be thankful that He has opened the gates of heaven for us and that salvation can be ours. Because of His care for all of His children, He is the Good Shepherd. As this Easter season continues, let us praise God for all He does for us in this life and for what He will do in the next.
Peace,
Fr. John Kurgan
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