4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY) - 2025

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me. JN 10:14

ACTS 13:14,43-52

My Soul's Beloved,

Some of the Jews among them, Pharisees and Sadducees, and all enemies of Truth to this day are hard-hearted and stubborn. They refuse to give You as well as Your Church a fair hearing. They refuse to consider Your words, teaching, and preaching, Your life, Your suffering, death, crucifixion and glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven. They refuse to consider the wonderful signs that You, the Apostles, and the Church continue to perform, giving authentic witness that You were indeed from God. You said that we are judged by the fruit we bear. Just as they refused to judge You by the wonders, signs, and miracles that accompanied You wherever You went, they refuse to credit the Church for all the positive contributions she has made in every area of life in every nation that has Christian roots, a Christian heritage, and wherever she has sent her missionaries, as well as ordinary laymen and women who live their faith heroically, quietly, and faithfully while making an impact by their witness to Your goodness, compassion, mercy, and love. 

Paul made the decision that enough was enough. The rejection of the Jews, their hatred of the Truth, and their stubborn clinging to a way that was now obsolete. You came to show the world that the only Way to the Father was through You, and the consequences of their rejection lie on their head, for they deliberately and willfully closed their hearts and their ears to the Good News that saves. Paul decided that he and his companions would preach the Good News to the Gentiles who were hungry and thirsty for Life in its abundance, and thus they fulfilled Your command to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. ‘We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans. For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said:
I have made you a light for the nations,
so that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.’
It made the pagans very happy to hear this and they thanked the Lord for his message; all who were destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread through the whole countryside.
But the Jews worked upon some of the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city and persuaded them to turn against Paul and Barnabas and expel them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in defiance and went off to Iconium; but the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

PSALM 99(100):1-3,5

We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.

Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.

We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

REVELATION 7:9,14-17

My Soul's Beloved,

It is so consoling to know my Lord that all those who have lost their lives for the sake of the Gospel, all who are being persecuted for it in so many nations in the world and especially in those places where Christianity is such a tiny fraction and yet the oppressors see fit to do them harm. There is a divine power in our faith, Lord, and this is why the enemies of Truth are afraid of it. Conversions continue to take place in the unlikeliest places and in the most unbelievable ways. So we do not lose hope but continue to live out our faith by the testimony of our lives.

Thank You, Holy Spirit, for inspiring the words of Sacred Scripture through its human authors, they encourage us, give meaning and purpose to our lives, and fill us with hope. So many young seminarians, priests, religious, and lay people are losing their lives for the sake of the Gospel. You have taken them to Yourself, and they are in Your glorious Presence where they worship You and intercede for the Church.

Thank You, Beloved, for the glorious destiny that awaits those whom You will eventually call home to Yourself. Keep us faithful to the end, Lord.

I, John, saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. One of the elders said, ‘These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and because they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb, they now stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his sanctuary; and the One who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will never hunger or thirst again; neither the sun nor scorching wind will ever plague them, because the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.’

JOHN 10:27-30

My Soul's Beloved,

My heart aches and breaks for those within my family and in my home who have been baptized, received the Sacraments, have remained faithful to the Church's teaching for years, but now have grown cold and indifferent. How much longer, Lord, before these sheep whom You love so much, who have been called by Your Name, and are sealed in the Holy Spirit, will stray far from the path leading to eternal life?  

You assure me daily that all that I desire, the Father desires even more. You ask me to wait and pray, and while I wait to do so with a glad heart and a joyful spirit. It gets hard, Lord, when days turn to weeks, months, and years. Help me not to lose confidence in Your goodness and in Your Word, which is true.  

Merciful Father, for the sake of Jesus' sorrowful passion, grant that I may never waver in my faith, and never allow discouragement to sadden me so greatly that I lose hope. You assure us most emphatically that we, the sheep, are given to Your Son by You and He assures us that no one can steal them from You. For this assurance Abba, Father, we thank You. 

Beloved Jesus, thank You for assuring the sheep that listen to Your voice and follow You of eternal life. Grant O Lord that every sheep that has strayed is not completely lost. You will seek them, find them, and return them to the fold.

Jesus said:
‘The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice;
I know them and they follow me.
I give them eternal life;
they will never be lost
and no one will ever steal them from me.
The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone,
and no one can steal from the Father.
The Father and I are one.’