Posted: 5/12/2011 5:01:54 AM EDT
May 15, 2011
 First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 2:14a 36-41 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" 38 And 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 shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him." 40 And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Psalm: Psalms 23:1-6 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. Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:20b-25 Beloved: 20 If when you do right and suffer for it you take it patiently, you have God's approval. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. Gospel: John 10:1-10 1 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber; 2 but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." 6 This figure Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them. 9 I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Study Page Overview of the Gospel: **This Sunday’s gospel takes place right after Jesus’ healing of the blind man which we heard about on the Fourth Sunday of Lent (John 9:1-41). He is addressing this present discourse to the Pharisees who reacted with hostility to both Jesus and the blind man as a result of that healing. **The theme of God as the shepherd of Israel runs all through the Old Testament (Psalm 23:1-4, 80:1; Genesis 48:15, 49:24; Micah 7:14). Among the leaders of Israel there were good shepherds, like David (1 Samuel 17:34-36) as well as bad (Jeremiah 23:1-6). **The Old Testament also promised that God would one day replace these corrupt leaders and shepherd his people himself (Ezekiel 34:11-16; Isaiah 40:11). Jesus often described himself in pastoral terms as a shepherd who sought out the lost sheep and carried them home to rejoicing (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:4-7; John 10). He also used the image of a shepherd in many of his other teachings (Matthew 7:15, 9:36, 25:32-33; Mark 14:27; John 21:16-17), as did the early Church (Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25). Questions: **In the 1st Reading, Jesus is not called a “shepherd”, but he is given another title (see verses 36 and 39). What promise is given to those who repent of their sins and call upon his name? **In the 2nd examples, what kind of example did Jesus set for us? What did he do for us that enables us to return to him as our Good Shepherd (see verse 24)? **In the Gospel Reading, what do the sheep, shepherd, the sheepfold, and the stranger represent? How does the story of healing of the blind man in chapter 9 provide one example of what this story is about? **How do the sheep respond to the shepherd? How does this relate to the Pharisees’ understanding of Jesus? What does Jesus mean by likening himself to a gate for the sheepfold? Who are these “thieves and robbers”? How is Jesus unlike them? **How does Jesus’ death relate to his promise in verse 10? How does Jesus identify himself with the “good shepherd” (verses 11-15)? **What was the turning point for you in terms of hearing “God’s voice” and responding? How do you discern his voice from all the other voices that vie for your attention? **How does it make you feel to think of God caring for you as the Good Shepherd? |
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When the next Bible missionary knocks on my door, I will ask them if they teach the same message the Apostles taught. They will probably say yes, then I ask them what someone should do if they come to believe in Jesus. The answer to that question hasn't changed in 2000 years.
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thanks Catitude for posting these every week!! |
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**How do the sheep respond to the shepherd? How does this relate to the
Pharisees’ understanding of Jesus? What does Jesus mean by likening himself to a gate for the sheepfold? Who are these “thieves and robbers”? How is Jesus unlike them? The relationship between the shepherd and his sheep is remarkable. We tend to think of sheep as dumb animals that just follow the rump in front of them where ever it leads, but here we learn that they know and respond to the shepherd by his voice. Sheep from many flocks would be gathered together in the same sheepfold with a "look out" at night, then the shepherds would come in the morning and call their sheep out. The sheep will only go with their own shepherd, and as Jesus says, they flee from the strangers. What an awesome image of the relationship that God wants with us! He is not some distant God who created us then left us on our own. All we need to do is seek Him out and we can have that intimate communion where we know His voice like no other. He has given us the Church to help cultivate this relationship - the Liturgy, the Sacraments, Adoration, prayer, the saints. Its all right there for the takin' (or should I say the receiving?). In His analogy, Jesus says He is the gate. That is no more apparent than in this Easter season when we celebrate His resurrection in a special way. Through His death and rising, He has reconciled us to the Father. He is the way to the Father - in the sheepfold. He provides us safe passage through life as long as we stay close to Him. And look at what He promises us - pasture - green pasture according to the Psalm for today. Not just scrubby crabgrass, bothers, but abundance. Yet, do do we take Him up on this like we should? The thieves and robbers are the Pharisees on one level, but on another level, they are any and all other "voices" that we follow in lieu of the Shepherd's. They are the things that lead us away from greater communion with God. Often in our lives, they are the world idols that we put in front of God. The TV, internet (arfcom - gasp!), power, sex, money, prestige, pride and on and on that fill up the airwaves and keep us from partaking in the Sacraments, prayer and delving into Scripture because we don't have the "time". Do you "waste" enough time with your Shepherd? |
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Yes! Second that motion: a huge "Thank you" to Cat for her tireless efforts in our weekly scripture study.
*How do the sheep respond to the shepherd? How does this relate to the Pharisees’ understanding of Jesus? What does Jesus mean by likening himself to a gate for the sheepfold? Who are these “thieves and robbers”? How is Jesus unlike them? I recall a few years ago, at a noon "Good Shepherd Mass", our Pastor from the pulpit asked the entire congregation if they knew anything about sheep. Since we're in a fairly urban area, it was fair to say there would be no takers to the question. Whoops! Up popped a visitor, Ron, who was one of the last know sheep farmers in the entire region! Ron piped up and said: "Sure do––been raising sheep for 40 years and boy, are they stupid critters!" We all had a great laugh. Father didn't know what to say, since he had a sheep "expert" on hand. Sheep will respond to the shepherd mainly because of voice recognition. They build up trust knowing their leader is there for their best interests. Back in Jesus time (and still today in the Holy Land) all of a villages' sheep are kept in a common fold. The sheep are not separated nor "driven" by herding dogs or such; the sheep respond to the shepherd. He literally "calls them out" of the herd to follow him and go his way. The Pharisees, on the other hand, do not listen to Jesus; they fail to understand him at all. Worse, they take pains to misinterpret and misrepresent what Jesus is teaching. They are likened to a "hirling," a wage-slave who has no regard for his charges, the sheep. At first sign of danger, like the wolf attacking the flock, he flees. What great imagery: Pharisees literally fleeing from the word of God before their very eyes and ears! The "gate" to me represent the straight and narrow pathway Jesus teaches us. Quite literally, it's Jesus telling us: "It's My way or the highway––take your pick." He loves us that very much that he will respect our choices; but, we may not like the consequences of our actions if we don't follow our Lord. Up to us. Will we subject ourselves to "thieves and robbers?" And we all know what a thief plans for receiving stolen property. Quick turn-around. That's a no-brainer. A thief will not care for stolen goods. A thief wants quick profit. Like a stolen sheep, you'll probably wind up slaughtered very quickly. As said in verse10, a thief only comes to slaughter and destroy. The thieves and robbers are not from God: they are the corrupt Pharisees, who twist and bend truth to fit their own needs. The Pharisees have become fat and rich feeding off the people, but not teaching them God's ways. They do not "hear" or "heed" the Good Shepherd's words. Jesus is attacking them head on here! Make no mistake––the Holy Spirit is not a timid spirit. It fights to establish the truth; and what is truth? Truth is a person whose name is Jesus. He is unlike them since he teaches the truth, and he does it lovingly, even laying down his own life to defend his flock of believers. 
"Lord Jesus, enfold me in your tender loving arms!" |