Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter
May 6, 2021
Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Lectionary: 288
Reading I
After much debate had taken place,
Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters,
“My brothers, you are well aware that from early days
God made his choice among you that through my mouth
the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe.
And God, who knows the heart,
bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit
just as he did us.
He made no distinction between us and them,
for by faith he purified their hearts.
Why, then, are you now putting God to the test
by placing on the shoulders of the disciples
a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?
On the contrary, we believe that we are saved
through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.”
The whole assembly fell silent,
and they listened
while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders
God had worked among the Gentiles through them.
After they had fallen silent, James responded,
“My brothers, listen to me.
Symeon has described how God first concerned himself
with acquiring from among the Gentiles a people for his name.
The words of the prophets agree with this, as is written:
After this I shall return
and rebuild the fallen hut of David;
from its ruins I shall rebuild it
and raise it up again,
so that the rest of humanity may seek out the Lord,
even all the Gentiles on whom my name is invoked.
Thus says the Lord who accomplishes these things,
known from of old.
It is my judgment, therefore,
that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God,
but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols,
unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and blood.
For Moses, for generations now,
has had those who proclaim him in every town,
as he has been read in the synagogues every sabbath.”
Responsorial Psalm
R. (3) Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete.”
Reflection: JESUS'FLOCK OF SHEEP
With several allusions to the Old Testament stories of prophets, kings, patriarchs, the tenth chapter in the gospel of John is intense in its tone and structure. While the 'I am sayings of Jesus occupy a major portion of John's gospel, one such theme is Jesus' claim, 'I am the Good Shepherd.' The task of shepherding entails several pastoral responsibilities, calls for unity and recognition of all-embracing message of the gospel. Notice how the text develops as Jesus enunciates the purpose of, he being the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep and draws the flock together. In contrast to being the Good Shepherd, Jesus also touches upon the traits of a hired one that would desert the flock and run away. The mission of the Good Shepherd encompasses a wider reality of the words, people from all walks of life, cultures, language, ethnic identities so and so forth. The Good Shepherd recognizes the elements of unity in his flock while truly aware of the individual dignity and uniqueness of each sheep in the fold. This is the method and madness of our God who desires every one of his creatures to be saved in His Son Jesus, the Good Shepherd. This analogy goes deeper as Jesus claims the responsibility for the sheep that does not belong to the fold. This is how the Church acts and spreads the mission of Christ in the world. The Church is aware of the needs of many others who do not feel related at all to this mother church. This aspect of shepherding gets to the very crux of who we are as the Church to celebrate our differences with dignity and appreciate each other's uniqueness in unity. In this context we should ask about our role in radiating the joy of being part of Jesus' flock.