Greeting (See Second Reading)
By the wounds of Jesus, we have been healed. We had gone
astray like sheep, but now we have come back to the shepherd and guardian of
our souls. May Jesus our Good Shepherd be always with you. R/ And also
with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
- Hear
the Shepherd’s Voice
It is God our Father himself who has taken the initiative to
love us. His love keeps calling each of us personally, and we hear his voice
especially through Jesus, our Good Shepherd. Do we hear his voice in our
prayer, in the words he speaks to us in the Scriptures, or when he speaks to us
from heart to heart in the Eucharistic celebration? And let us not forget too
that Jesus speaks to us in the Church that appeals to us in the people who cry
out their needs and love to us.
- He
Calls Us by Name
It is great to know that someone knows you by your first
name, for that is already a sign of love. If this person is someone you trust,
you can put yourself in his or her hands and feel very safe. Jesus presents
himself today as a friend who knows and calls us to walk with him the road of
life. He sticks to us through thick and thin; he shows us the way to follow.
Under his leadership, we can truly be a people, God’s people. With Jesus, our
Good Shepherd, we now celebrate this Eucharist and learn from him to care for
one another.
Penitential Act
-At times, we have turned a deaf ear to the Lord calling us.
We ask God now to forgive us. (pause)
-Good Shepherd, let us hear your voice in the challenging
words you speak to us: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
-Good Shepherd, let your voice provoke us to continue your
work in the Church and to make you known to all people: Christ, have
mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Good Shepherd, make us recognize your voice crying out to us
in those in need and who suffer: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have
mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us all our sins. Attune
us to your voice, calling us and making us follow you all the way to
everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray to God that we may always listen to the voice of
Jesus, our Good Shepherd (pause)
Lord our God, almighty and loving Father, you have given us,
your people, a reliable and caring guide to lead us to you and to one another, your
Son and our Good Shepherd Jesus Christ. Stir our hearts with the words of the
Gospel as the message of good news for us today. and help us to hear God’s
voice also in the silence of our faith, in the groaning of our miseries, and in
the words of encouragement and joy of the shepherds of your Church and of
everyone who has a good word for us. For there too speaks and calls our Good
Shepherd, Jesus Christ. R/ Amen.
First Reading: Acts 2:14a, 36-41: Called to Follow
Christ:
Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:20b-25
Saved by Our Shepherd: In a world full
of injustice and suffering, we feel like straying sheep. Jesus has shared our
lot. By giving himself totally for us he became our shepherd.
Gospel: John 10:1-10: Called to Follow Our
Shepherd: Jesus is the good shepherd who does not abuse his
power but knows us personally and is our gate to lasting happiness and joy.
Prayers of the Faithful
Let us pray with the fullest trust to Jesus, our Good
Shepherd, for he takes care of the needs of all who follow him. Let us say:
R/ Lord, guide us in right paths.
– For the shepherds of the Church, that they may
take Christ for their model and courageously lead the People of God to the
kingdom of justice and love, let us pray: R/ Lord, guide us in right
paths.
– For all Christians everywhere, that they may
become one holy people of God; for those who have lost their faith, that our
Christian living may be so credible as to inspire them to return to Christ, let
us pray: R/ Lord, guide us in right paths.
– For those in tasks of Christian formation,
that they themselves may know where they are going and lead those entrusted to
them on roads of life and commitment to God and to their brothers and sisters,
let us pray: R/ Lord, guide us in right paths.
– For the leaders of nations, that they may
promote the freedom and dignity of people, and place justice and the quality of
life above personal gain and power, let us pray: R/ Lord, guide us in
right paths.
– For our youth and young adults, that they may
have the courage to make themselves totally free for the work of the Lord if he
calls them to special tasks in the Church, let us pray: R/ Lord, guide
us in right paths.
Lord Jesus Christ, we entrust all these cares to you. And do
not forget us, for we rely on you. our shepherd and our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, our Father, your Son and Good Shepherd Jesus
Christ spreads for us the table of the Eucharist; he calls each of us by name to
share his meal with him. We can only bring bread and wine before you. He will
give himself to us. Let him lead us into your own house, and in the meantime
help us to nourish one another on our journey with kindness, hope and justice, in
the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
We have now reached the core of the Mass, the Eucharistic
prayer. We recall in it how Jesus, our Good Shepherd laid down his life for us
to give us life to the full. Let us thank the Father with one heart and one
voice.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
Led by Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd, we pray to our
Father in heaven to give us food that nourishes our bodies and the bread of
life of the Eucharist. R/ Our Father...
Prayer for Peace
Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: I leave you
peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your
Church and hear your people’s plea for peace and unity in the Church and in the
world. Be the Good Shepherd of all, that there may be only one flock and one
shepherd, now and for ever. R/ Amen.
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, our Good Shepherd. He calls each of us by
name and invites us to share his table, that he may give us life to the full. Happy
are we to listen to him. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, eternal Shepherd of your people, it was good
to hear the voice of your Son, Jesus Christ our Good Shepherd, and to receive
him as the food of life. Let him lead us to a valley of peace where we will
learn from him to call each other by name, to have time and space for one
another and to give not just gifts but ourselves, that others may live and be
free. Let this be a token and pledge of the joy of your eternal home. We ask
this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
In this Eucharistic celebration we have grown in love and
trust in Jesus, our Good Shepherd. Through him we have also grown in trust in
each other and in a sense of belonging and community. When our Shepherd brings
us together, what else can we do than realize that we belong together as God’s
people and that, like our Lord, we have to live for one another. May you put
this into practice these days with the blessing of almighty God, the Father,
and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in peace and let Christ be your guide. R/ Thanks
be to God.
****
REFLECTION: John 10:1-10
Recognise The Shepherd’s Voice
The 4th Sunday of Easter is celebrated as the Good Shepherd
Sunday, and today is the 63rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
A sheepfold in the Palestinian settings of Jesus’ times was
an enclosure surrounded by stone walls on which were placed bundles of thorns.
Brambles are allowed to grow on them to prevent sheep from exiting and thieves
from entering the sheepfold. The enclosure could be in front of a house, built
outdoors, or on a mountain slope. Several shepherds could use a single
sheepfold built on a mountain slope together to bring their sheep at night;
they would take turns staying awake and keeping watch while others slept.
Armed with a stick, the gatekeeper squatted at the entrance
to the fold that had no door. In that position, he himself became “the door.”
Only those whom he allowed to pass through could approach the sheep. Jesus
assumes the role of the one who watches over the sheepfold; hence, in the
second part of today’s Gospel, Jesus says he is “the Gate.”
Upon recognising the shepherd’s steps and voice, the sheep
would immediately follow him when the night was over. From this experience of
the people of the land, Jesus narrates this parable.
The true shepherd knows his sheep by their names and calls
them “one by one.” For Jesus, an anonymous crowd does not exist. He cares about
each of his sheep. He pays attention to each of their gifts, strengths, and
weaknesses. This is what we read about God in Isaiah’s prophecy: “He carries
the lambs in his bosom, gently leading those that are with young” (Is
40:11). He understands their difficulties and helps and respects them.
There are also thieves and bandits around. Who are they? It
could be the religious and political leaders who wear the mask of shepherds but
in reality, are greedy for dominance and exploitation; their methods of doing
so are violence and lies. Jesus uses three verbs to summarise their works of
death: They steal, kill and destroy.
Today’s Gospel emphasises the “voice of the shepherd,” which
is heard, recognised, and immediately distinguished from that of strangers.
After the resurrection, the disciples could not recognise Jesus when they saw
him face to face. He was mistaken for a wayfarer, a ghost, or a gardener, but
His voice was unmistakable, and they recognised him.
The Good Shepherd Sunday is a reminder and an invitation for every disciple of Jesus to cultivate a heart of a true shepherd who is not satisfied with fulfilling the minimum requirements. We are all shepherds. The Gospel warns us not to behave like the hired hands who always have much to complain about and are satisfied with fulfilling the given duties.
