Daily Readings - Sun Apr 21 2024

⁷And stationing them in the middle, they questioned them: "By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Leaders of the people and elders, listen⁹If we today are judged by a good deed done to an infirm man, by which he has been made whole¹⁰let it be known to all of you and to all of the people of Israel, that in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God has raised from the dead, by him, this man stands before you, healthy¹¹He is the stone, which was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner¹²And there is no salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, by which it is necessary for us to be saved.

1 John

Chapter 3

¹See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we would be called, and would become, the sons of God. Because of this, the world does not know us, for it did not know him²Most beloved, we are now the sons of God. But what we shall be then has not yet appeared. We know that when he does appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is

John

Chapter 10

¹¹I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep¹²But the hired hand, and whoever is not a shepherd, to whom the sheep do not belong, he sees the wolf approaching, and he departs from the sheep and flees. And the wolf ravages and scatters the sheep¹³And the hired hand flees, because he is a hired hand and there is no concern for the sheep within him¹⁴I am the good Shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me¹⁵just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for my sheep¹⁶And I have other sheep that are not of this fold, and I must lead them. They shall hear my voice, and there shall be one sheepfold and one shepherd¹⁷For this reason, the Father loves me: because I lay down my life, so that I may take it up again¹⁸No one takes it away from me. Instead, I lay it down of my own accord. And I have the power to lay it down. And I have the power to take it up again. This is the commandment that I have received from my Father.

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter powerful reflections on identity, faith, and the boundless love of God. The first reading from Acts recounts Peter and John's courageous testimony before the Sanhedrin after healing a lame man. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly proclaims that the healing was done in the name of Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of salvation. This moment highlights the transformative power of faith and the authority of Jesus' name. The second reading from 1 John invites us to contemplate the profound love of God that makes us His children. John reminds us that our true identity as sons and daughters of God is not yet fully revealed, but we can trust in the promise that when Christ appears, we will be like Him. This truth calls us to live with hope and confidence, knowing we belong to God. In the Gospel, Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. This image underscores Jesus' deep care and commitment to His followers. He knows us, and we know Him, just as He knows the Father. This intimate relationship is a source of comfort and strength, reminding us that we are not alone in our journey of faith. These readings remind us that our identity as children of God and our relationship with Jesus, the Good Shepherd, are at the heart of our faith. May we trust in His care, live with the confidence of our identity, and allow His love to guide us in our daily lives.