Sunday Gospel Reflection, April 26, 2026: What are we to do, my brothers?

What are we to do, my brothers?
What does it take to be saved? 

    In John’s Gospel, having just healed the man born blind, Jesus points out to the Pharisees that they themselves are blind, for they have failed to hear Jesus’ voice and follow him, even when he demonstrates irrefutably that he is the Messiah. The Pharisees ignore and deny God’s action; they are the thieves and robbers of whom Jesus speaks, those who will not enter through the gate to salvation that is Jesus. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, Jesus tells them, but they pay him no heed, refusing to listen (let alone believe!), refusing to accept their identity as sheep and cling instead to their own self-interest. The Lord is manifestly not their shepherd. 

    After Jesus’ death and rising, the Christian community will cling to Jesus’ promise of salvation. In the Acts of the Apostles, the crowds ask Peter and the other apostles, What are we to do, my brothers? Peter reassures them that Jesus’ promise is intended for them as well: Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is made to you and your children and to all those far off. God raised Jesus, thus opening a door; they have but to step through it to access eternal life. Likewise, although they may have gone astray like sheep, the author of the First Letter of Peter tells his community, they have but to return to the shepherd and guardian of their souls, Christ, who suffered for them. As Christians, they may suffer for doing what is good, but they have been called, and must follow in Christ’s footsteps, in order to live for righteousness. 

    It is through Jesus that we must go in order to embrace our identity as Christians; we cannot pass through the gate without being touched by his life, his sacrifice, and participate. We too must be patient when we suffer for doing what is good, and hold to his promise of salvation. All who listen, follow and believe will be saved. Are we ready and willing to embrace that promise and believe, as Psalm 23 reminds us, that the Lord is our shepherd, too? 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture Class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, May 11, 2025: We are his people, the sheep of his flock...

We are his people, the sheep of his flock…
Why do we trust in the Shepherd? 

    It is perhaps not surprising that Jesus’ authority comes from the union he has with his Father; the Father and I are one, Jesus tells his disciples in John’s Gospel. And it is precisely from this union that Jesus can be the shepherd the people have long awaited: My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me. Because they belong to God, they belong to Jesus; it is his death and rising that gives them eternal life, so that they shall not perish. Like the psalmist and his community in Psalm 100, who recognize the Lord as their leader, the disciples have learned that they are Jesus’ people, the sheep of his flock. Jesus is and will remain the focus of their thanksgiving and the core of their own sense of identity. 

    When, in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Barnabas make every effort to spread the good news, even to the Gentiles, they serve as conduits, bringing the touch of their shepherd Jesus to all they meet. When the Word of God touches the hearts of the people who hear Paul and Barnabas speak, many Gentiles come to believe. Although Paul and Barnabas’ Jewish listeners are filled with jealousy, and the two must simply shake the dust from their feet and move on, knowing they are doing what they have been called to do, following their shepherd, filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. 

    The image of Jesus as shepherd is complicated in the Book of Revelation by the fact that, having died and risen, Jesus is now the Lamb who is in the center of the throne who will shepherd the people and lead them to springs of life-giving water. The Lamb who was slain is now the shepherd; because the Lamb now lives, those under persecution for their faith know that they too will live, so long as they hold onto the faith that connects them to the one who leads them to eternal life, for they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They must not lose heart, nor must they lose sight of the Lamb who shepherds them – and neither should we. Jesus has touched our hearts, and we know eternally that we are indeed his people, the sheep of his flock! 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, April 21, 2024: A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep...

A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…

Are you ready to surrender to the will of God? 

    We know that Jesus is often called the Good Shepherd, but what does that mean? In John’s Gospel, Jesus explains, A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. Jesus will die for our sake; he will surrender himself to the Father’s will out of a deep and abiding love for us, his sheep, with whom he feels an intimate connection: I know mine and mine know me, he says. We are baptized into the life that Jesus shares with the Father; he also shares that life with us. And we are not the only ones; Jesus will lay down his life for all sheep, even those who do not belong to his fold. In the process, Jesus will be, in the words of Psalm 118, the stone which the builders rejected that becomes the cornerstone. In its original context, that stone was a reference to the people of Israel, to whom God gave the strength to be victorious, so long as they surrendered to God’s will and held fast to their confidence that his mercy endures forever. 

    In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter will similarly ask that all who hear him preach the good news of salvation surrender to God’s will through belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, for 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. God works outside our rules, allowing his Son to be rejected and crucified, that we might be saved. In baptism we pass from death into the life we share through Jesus with God. For to be called the children of God is to share in Christ’s resurrected life. This is our first identity, the primary way we are to understand ourselves, though it is not the fulfillment of all the promises. We are still becoming: what we shall be, the First Letter of John reminds us, has not yet been revealed. Our journey toward the fullness of life is predicated on our surrender to the love the Father has bestowed on us, that we may be called the children of God. This is God’s will for us; we have but to open to it. 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, April 30, 2023: Whoever enters through me will be saved...

Whoever enters through me will be saved…

Will you remain close to the shepherd? 

    For the most part, King David did his best to stay close to the Lord. Psalm 23 reminds us that, as David’s shepherd, the Lord provides David with all he needs: I shall not want, David sings. He asks to be guided in right paths, that he might dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come. This is covenant relationship at its best: David trusts in the Lord, who is at his side, goodness and kindness incarnate; David allows God to work in him, shepherding him rightly. 

    In Jesus’ time, however, the Pharisees have closed their minds to Jesus, refusing to see him as the one God sent to bring salvation to all. Instead, the Pharisees hold to their traditional spiritual practices, based on careful observance of 613 laws that, over time, have come to stand between them and God. They are the thieves and robbers to whom Jesus refers in John’s Gospel, the strangers whom the sheep will not follow. Yet Jesus proclaims to all that access to God will be possible thanks to his passion, death and rising. It is his suffering, the First Letter of Peter tells us, that allows us to experience God’s forgiveness and love. Jesus himself is the gate for the sheep, the gate through which we must enter to stay close to God. 

    In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter clearly explains to the whole house of Israel that this Jesus whom they crucified was both Lord and Christ. Upon hearing this, the people are cut to the quick, and ready to repent and be baptized. Only by changing direction can they get close to the Lord, and allow him to work within them. They may have gone astray like sheep, but they must return to the shepherd, surrendering themselves to Christ, believing in him, and in the access to God that his suffering and death made possible. The Lord is our shepherd, so long as we allow ourselves to be guided in right paths, that we might follow in his footsteps and dwell forever in his presence.  

This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class. 
Image source:  www.wordclouds.com 

Sunday Gospel Reflection, May 8, 2022: The whole city gathered to hear the Word of the Lord...

The whole city gathered to hear the Word of the Lord…

Are you open to the Word? 

    To be disciples of Jesus, we must be open to the grace of God’s Word. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says, My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. Jesus has intimate knowledge of all creation, and those who hear his voice choose to follow him. They become, as Psalm 100 reminds us, his people, the sheep of his flock. This was true of the people of Israel whom the psalmist addresses; theirs was a particular and special relationship with God, who chose them out of all nations and tended them. Like them, we must be open to the Word, open to any and all of the Lord’s instructions on the journey, choosing to follow and to serve the Lord. 

    When, in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Barnabas first reach Antioch in Pisidia, almost the whole city gathers to hear the Word of the Lord, and many respond positively when Paul urges them to remain faithful to the grace of God. A week later, however, the Jewish authorities contradict what Paul says, refusing that grace as they are unwilling to be open to the Word of the shepherd given to them. 

    Jesus died for the sake of all humankind in an act of total self-giving. In the Book of Revelation, John encourages the ones who have survived the time of great distress to stay true to their faith, to not lose sight of the grace given to them, to remain open to the Lord no matter the threat, for Jesus the Lamb will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, salvation itself. 

    The Lord offers us his grace; we can accept or reject it. He will not coerce faith, but he will faithfully invite us to faith, over and over again. It is up to us to open to the Word of God, that we might hear his voice, and thus trust in the Lamb as our shepherd who will lead us to springs of life-giving water as well. 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class. 

Image source: www.classic.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, April 25, 2021: In his name this man stands before you healed...

 

In his name this man stands before you healed…

How aware are you of God’s power in your life?

   The people of the Old Testament lived in constant awareness of the power of God in their lives. In Psalm 118, for example, King David recognizes and trusts in God’s saving power: I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me and have been my savior. After Jesus’ death and rising, the apostles will come to have the same degree of faith in that power. In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter explains that they are able to heal a man disabled from birth because they act in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean. Peter goes so far to repeat himself for emphasis: in his name this man stands before you healed. But his listeners fail to recognize God’s power at work; they are not open to the possibility that speaking in the name of Jesus Christ could possibly have such an effect. Their minds are made up; their hearts are closed.

   When, in John’s Gospel, Jesus states that he lays down his life in order to take it up again, he is referencing a choice: God raises Jesus and Jesus chooses to participate in that act. But he first surrenders himself to the authority of humankind so that his persecutors can fulfill God’s plan for salvation. God works through their sin; Peter refers to Jesus whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. God’s power is greater than any human power; God’s love is the sure path to salvation. In the death and rising of Jesus we see the love the Father has bestowed on us, as the First Letter of John states. Through baptism, we celebrate our participation in God’s salvation of humankind; we must keep opening to his love with faith, and remaining open to it throughout our lives. Christ, the good shepherd, intends to lead all with love, so that all hearts will come to him. God’s love is God’s initiative; our role is to respond to that call, to be open to our complete dependence upon God’s power, open to God’s love, active and ever increasing in our lives.

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, May 3, 2020: You had all gone astray like sheep...

You had all gone astray like sheep…

Are you willing to be led by the shepherd?

  A flock of sheep can be startled and scatter without thinking about the consequences; when they are isolated, they freeze in place.  The sheep then need a shepherd to bring them back – the shepherd’s voice refocuses them, bringing their attention back to what is important.  In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter calls upon the house of Israel to repent, to change direction, to turn back to God, to focus on what God is revealing to them.  To repent is to allow themselves to be led by the Lord as their shepherd following the model of Psalm 23:  beside restful waters he leads me.  The psalmist David, who is himself priest-king and shepherd of his people, lets the Lord his shepherd guide him in right paths; he takes comfort in knowing that the Lord is always at his side.

  David’s is a lesson the Pharisees of Jesus’ time seem to have forgotten.  In John's Gospel, although they are supposed to be the shepherds of the people, they have led their flock astray; their sheep will not follow them because sheep do not recognize the voice of strangers, but rather only the voice of the true shepherd, Jesus himself.  In a related image, Jesus likens himself to the gate:  whoever enters through me will be saved, will have life and have it more abundantly.  The Pharisees are not willing to enter through Jesus; they refuse to see in him the shepherd come to guide them to God.

  As the First Letter of Peter reminds us, we all tend to wander from those right paths described in Psalm 23:  you go astray like sheep, he says.  But Christ asks that we follow in his footsteps.  Jesus taught us through his death what love demands of us; so long as we allow Christ’s path to guide us, so long as we turn back to him and respond always from a place of love, we can return to the shepherd and guardian of our souls, dwelling where the Lord is, in love itself.  Only then can we have life more abundantly, joyful, fully aware that life is a gift, and rejoicing in that gift that is love.

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.

Image source:  www.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, May 12, 2019: My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me...

My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me…

Who is cut off from the love of God? 

  To follow Jesus is to establish and nurture a relationship with him, to recognize that he provides me something I cannot get any other way. In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells the Jews assembled on the Portico of Solomon, I know my sheep and they know me; no one can take them out of my hand.  No matter how frightened I (or any disciple) might become, nothing can ever stand between me and God except me, because I can step away.  But once I know God loves me, I can’t turn off that access; I can’t stop God from loving me.  God loves us into existence and his love will never change; we may willfully block God’s access to us, but we cannot change his love for us, nor are we ever cut off from it, though we might choose to turn away from it.

  When, in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Barnabas encourage the converts they made the first week they preached in Antioch in Pisidia to come back a second week, many do, but much of Paul’s Jewish audience is filled with jealousy.  Paul does not condemn them, but his concern is clear:  you reject the word of God, he tells them, and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life.  It is Paul’s way of clarifying what stands in their way, so that they can change as they need to.  In no way is the Jewish audience cut off from God’s love; they have but to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation to be possible.  They too are God’s people, the sheep of his flock, as Psalm 100 puts it; he made us, his we are.  They must simply come to know in their heart that this is the case, and believe.

  Likewise, in the Book of Revelation, John’s vision includes a great multitude from every nation, race, people, and tongue.  They have survived the time of great distress, the elders tell John, and they will be shepherded by the Lamb who is in the center of the throne, joining their lives to his, as we must do, that we might encounter springs of life-giving water and stand before God’s throne as well. 

  Who is every cut off from the love of God?  Simply put, no one – no one who chooses to hear the word of the Lord and know that the Lord is God and join their life to his – for we are all in the Father’s hand.  May we one day stand before God’s throne as well, in perfect union, in perfect love.

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.

Image source:  www.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, April 22, 2018: We shall see him as he is...

 We shall see him as he is... 

What is the source of your vision? 

   Speaking before the Sanhedrin in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter links the crucifixion of Jesus to the history of the people of Israel, recounted in Psalm 118:  The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. While Jesus was alive, present before them, the Jewish leadership failed to see Jesus for who he was, that is to say, the Messiah, the only name under heaven by which we are to be saved.  Yet though they rejected Jesus, Peter assures them, they are not condemned; they have the opportunity to believe.  Peter’s presence before them constitutes an invitation, an invitation to recognize what God is doing right now, before their very eyes, in their midst.   They have but to open to the vision that is God’s, to see Jesus for who he was, and is, in their lives.

   If Acts is based on a past vision, John’s Gospel focuses on a present one.  In the story of the Good Shepherd, Jesus endeavors to open the eyes of the Jewish leadership, who fail to see that his power as shepherd, the power to lay down his life for his disciples at the crucifixion, comes to him at the command of the Father.  Jesus acts from the love of the Father; Jesus is that love made manifest.  Out of love for us, God provides the victim, and that victim, the very love of God himself, once sacrificed, because it has no limits, can prove how limitless it is. Jesus sees with God’s vision, and wants to share that vision with all who encounter him.

   The First Letter of John, while grounded in Jesus’ present vision, points also to the future:  what we shall be has not yet been revealed.  But here is the key:  We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  Jesus changes how we see and understand ourselves.  We are children of God, we know.  And God’s love in us is generative, active, dynamic, creative, so we are constantly being recreated into the Body of Christ, into the likeness of Jesus Christ.  Our goal is to try to match that likeness until, in eternal life, we know – and see – him fully.  Christ is the source, and the perfect object, of our vision – we have but to open our eyes and endeavor to see him as he is.

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.

Image source:  www.wordle.net

Sunday Gospel Reflection, May 7, 2017: Follow in his footsteps...

 Follow in his footsteps… 

Do you believe in Jesus’ power to transform you? 

   In John’s Gospel, the Pharisees have rejected Jesus; they do not believe he was sent by God nor do they consider him God’s messenger.  But Jesus calls them out on this:  whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate, but climbs over elsewhere, is a thief and a robber.  Their narrow vision, focused entirely on their own self-interest, will not allow the Pharisses to recognize that Jesus has been sent by God, not only as shepherd but also as gate, the only – and the only direct – access to the Father.  Jesus, as shepherd, knows them, loves them for who they are, for who they have been created to be, yet they do not listen to him.  Indeed, they run away because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.  Unlike the psalmist in Psalm 23, who knows that the Lord is his shepherd, the Pharisees do not believe in Jesus’ power to save them, to transform them, to give them life more abundantly.

   After Jesus’ death and rising, the Jews are still struggling to understand, still struggling to recognize the power Jesus has in their lives.  In Acts of the Apostles, Peter does not hesitate to proclaim Jesus’ identity:  Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.  As they come to a realization of who Jesus is and was, they ask, What are we to do?  Peter assures them that the promise of Jesus as shepherd and Messiah was made to you and to your children and to all those far off – they have but to follow, to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.  Transformed internally, they will be able to follow in his footsteps, as we read in 1 Peter, imitating Jesus’ example through patient suffering – this is their call. For you had gone astray like sheep, Peter writes, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. So allow yourself to be transformed, and live as he lived, confident in his power to save.

   Good Shepherd Sunday teaches us that conversion is not a one-time experience; we must be ever vigilant, following Jesus with care and attention, walking in the dark valley with him, always coming back to the shepherd who cares for us, trusting that God will remain at our side, as we allow ourselves to be transformed by his overflowing love.

This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.

Image source:  Moodle