Comments and notes on the Readings: The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Christ is Risen! Alleluia Alleluia!
He has truly Risen Alleluia!
1st reading Acts 4:8-12
In this reading Peter preaches, that there is an urgency that his listeners to believe in Christ as the Messiah (the anointed One) that the Father has Sent into the world for our salvation. He has become the “Corner Stone” (Psalm 118) and there is no other Name “in heaven” or on the earth by which we are to be saved. To understand this verse one must remember what Christ said about salvation and judgment (John 3:17-19) The Father did not send Christ into the world to Judge the world, but, so that the world could be saved through Him. Peter, the first pope, makes it clear that through Christ, God has definitively revealed His plan of salvation…Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), the Good Shepherd who leads us to the Father. His name Jesus (Yeshua, meaning, salvation) is the name above all names and to His name all knees will bend (Phil 2:5-11).
Responsorial Psalm-- 118
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord (Psalm 118). Even today in Israel people will begin a salutation with the words Blessed is He/she who comes. Catholic Christians understand these words in Light of Christ’s coming into the world, for he comes in the name of the Lord, sent by the Father. Also these words could be attributed to those who are sent by the Church to preach the Gospel to all nations. In Luke’s Gospel, (13:35) Jesus makes a reference to this verse implying that God’s Chosen people will one day say of Christ, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. The Responsorial psalm is a response to the first reading—Hence, the Sacred Liturgy (also called the Mass) is directing us to understand that this psalm is most fittingly fulfilled in Christ. He is the One who comes in the name of the Lord, may all nations recognize his true identity.
2nd Reading—1 John 3:1-2
This short reading is packed full of important theological truths. First, the Christ teaches that we who have been baptized into Christ and live in Christ are really the Children of God. We are not like the Children of God, we are the Children of God. Unfortunately some Churches and other groups are so caught up on the concept of total the depravity of the human race, that their view on depravity negatively affects their view on grace. They forget that in Christ one is a new creation and rightly there “ARE” the Children of God! Never forget who you are! God’s children shinning like bright lights in the midst of a world that too often does not “know Him.”
Secondly, John tells us something important about the Resurrection. He gives us some insights into the question regarding what the resurrection of the dead be like? How will we be? In a word: we don’t know completely, but we will be like “Him.” Just like Jesus when he was risen.
Gospel—I am the Good Shepherd—In the Gospel of John there are seven times that Jesus says the words “I am” with a title. He says, for example, I am the Bread of Life, the Light of the world, the Door, the way the Truth and the Life, the Resurrection and the Life ect. Each time that Christ adds a title to his name He is telling us that He is God. It will help us if we recall when God revealed Himself to Moses in the Burning Bush at the base of Mt. Sinai. There he revealed to Moses his divine name often translated “I Am.” Add to this the fact that when Jesus says that he is the Good shepherd it directly refers to the 23rd psalm where David tells us that God/The Lord/YHWH is our shepherd. Hence, Jesus is telling us that he is God in our midst. The disciples would not understand this until the day of the Resurrection. After Christ had risen St. Thomas bequeaths to the Church his great confession, he tells us that for all who personally know the resurrected Christ they will have the ability to say with confidence “MY Lord and My God!”
There are two things that Christ also tells us about the Good Shepherd. 1-I know my sheep and …they will hear my voice. The sheep are those who follow Christ, they are both believers and disciples and this is how we must live. Our faith must be more than us saying that we know Christ…there are many people who enjoy saying that they know Christ and less that actually live as if they know him. Christ himself tells us that on the last day many will come to him saying Lord, Lord, and he will send them away saying that he never knew them. To live like we know Christ we must spiritually hear his voice this is another way of saying that we must always do the will of our heavenly Father in our lives. To do the will of the Father we must cease from worrying about what we want and become preoccupied with what the father wants in our life. 2nd- Setting an example that we must imitate Christ laid down his life for us. Christ tells us that as The True Good Shepherd, he freely lays down his life for his sheep. Just as Christ gave his life freely for our salvation so we, if we are to be true disciples of him, must freely give our lives to the service of his will. May the Lord enable each of us to do so, as we celebrate the gift of the Good Shepherd!
He has truly Risen Alleluia!
1st reading Acts 4:8-12
In this reading Peter preaches, that there is an urgency that his listeners to believe in Christ as the Messiah (the anointed One) that the Father has Sent into the world for our salvation. He has become the “Corner Stone” (Psalm 118) and there is no other Name “in heaven” or on the earth by which we are to be saved. To understand this verse one must remember what Christ said about salvation and judgment (John 3:17-19) The Father did not send Christ into the world to Judge the world, but, so that the world could be saved through Him. Peter, the first pope, makes it clear that through Christ, God has definitively revealed His plan of salvation…Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), the Good Shepherd who leads us to the Father. His name Jesus (Yeshua, meaning, salvation) is the name above all names and to His name all knees will bend (Phil 2:5-11).
Responsorial Psalm-- 118
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord (Psalm 118). Even today in Israel people will begin a salutation with the words Blessed is He/she who comes. Catholic Christians understand these words in Light of Christ’s coming into the world, for he comes in the name of the Lord, sent by the Father. Also these words could be attributed to those who are sent by the Church to preach the Gospel to all nations. In Luke’s Gospel, (13:35) Jesus makes a reference to this verse implying that God’s Chosen people will one day say of Christ, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. The Responsorial psalm is a response to the first reading—Hence, the Sacred Liturgy (also called the Mass) is directing us to understand that this psalm is most fittingly fulfilled in Christ. He is the One who comes in the name of the Lord, may all nations recognize his true identity.
2nd Reading—1 John 3:1-2
This short reading is packed full of important theological truths. First, the Christ teaches that we who have been baptized into Christ and live in Christ are really the Children of God. We are not like the Children of God, we are the Children of God. Unfortunately some Churches and other groups are so caught up on the concept of total the depravity of the human race, that their view on depravity negatively affects their view on grace. They forget that in Christ one is a new creation and rightly there “ARE” the Children of God! Never forget who you are! God’s children shinning like bright lights in the midst of a world that too often does not “know Him.”
Secondly, John tells us something important about the Resurrection. He gives us some insights into the question regarding what the resurrection of the dead be like? How will we be? In a word: we don’t know completely, but we will be like “Him.” Just like Jesus when he was risen.
Gospel—I am the Good Shepherd—In the Gospel of John there are seven times that Jesus says the words “I am” with a title. He says, for example, I am the Bread of Life, the Light of the world, the Door, the way the Truth and the Life, the Resurrection and the Life ect. Each time that Christ adds a title to his name He is telling us that He is God. It will help us if we recall when God revealed Himself to Moses in the Burning Bush at the base of Mt. Sinai. There he revealed to Moses his divine name often translated “I Am.” Add to this the fact that when Jesus says that he is the Good shepherd it directly refers to the 23rd psalm where David tells us that God/The Lord/YHWH is our shepherd. Hence, Jesus is telling us that he is God in our midst. The disciples would not understand this until the day of the Resurrection. After Christ had risen St. Thomas bequeaths to the Church his great confession, he tells us that for all who personally know the resurrected Christ they will have the ability to say with confidence “MY Lord and My God!”
There are two things that Christ also tells us about the Good Shepherd. 1-I know my sheep and …they will hear my voice. The sheep are those who follow Christ, they are both believers and disciples and this is how we must live. Our faith must be more than us saying that we know Christ…there are many people who enjoy saying that they know Christ and less that actually live as if they know him. Christ himself tells us that on the last day many will come to him saying Lord, Lord, and he will send them away saying that he never knew them. To live like we know Christ we must spiritually hear his voice this is another way of saying that we must always do the will of our heavenly Father in our lives. To do the will of the Father we must cease from worrying about what we want and become preoccupied with what the father wants in our life. 2nd- Setting an example that we must imitate Christ laid down his life for us. Christ tells us that as The True Good Shepherd, he freely lays down his life for his sheep. Just as Christ gave his life freely for our salvation so we, if we are to be true disciples of him, must freely give our lives to the service of his will. May the Lord enable each of us to do so, as we celebrate the gift of the Good Shepherd!
Labels: homily
posted by CFS at
7:17 AM
