Sunday, May 11, 2014
Monday Fourth Week of Easter
May 12, 2014
Monday Fourth Week of Easter
[St. Nereus and Achilleus; St. Pancras]
Acts 11: 1-18 / Ps 42: 2-3; 43: 3-4 / Jn 10: 11-18
Reading: Acts 11: 1-18
News came to the apostles and the brothers and sisters in Judea that even foreigners had received the Word of God. So, when Peter went up to Jerusalem, these Jewish believers began to argue with him, "You went to the home of uncircumcised people and ate with them!" So Peter began to give them the facts as they had happened, "I was at prayer in the city of Joppa when, in a trance, I saw a vision. Something like a large sheet came down from the sky and drew near to me, landing on the ground by its four corners. As I stared at it, I saw four-legged creatures of the earth, wild beasts and reptiles, and birds of the sky. Then I heard a voice saying to me: 'Get up, Peter, kill and eat!' I replied, 'Certainly not, Lord! No common or unclean creature has ever entered my mouth.' A second time the voice from the heavens spoke, "What God has made clean, you must not call unclean." This happened three times, and then it was all drawn up into the sky. At that moment three men, who had been sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were staying. The Spirit instructed me to go with them without hesitation; so these six brothers came along with me and we entered into the man's house. He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and telling him: Send someone to Joppa and fetch Simon, also known as Peter. He will bring you a message by which you and all your household will be saved." I had begun to address them when suddenly the Holy Spirit came upon them, just as it had come upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If, then, God had given them the same gift that he had given us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to resist God?" When they heard this they set their minds at rest and praised God saying, "Then God has granted life-giving repentance to the pagan nations as well."
Gospel: John 10: 11-18
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Not so the hired hand or any other person who is not the shepherd and to whom the sheep do not belong. They abandon the sheep as soon as they see the wolf coming; then the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep. This is because the hired hand works for pay and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father. Because of this I give my life for my sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. These I have to lead as well, and they shall listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock since there is one Shepherd. The Father loves me because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down freely. It is mine to lay down and to take up again: this mission I received from my Father."
Reflection:
For us in the Philippines who are not familiar with sheep, we do not know the characteristics of a flock of sheep, but we do know that between a pet and its owner, close relationship exists. Many pet owners spend not only money, but also time for their pets - to care for them, train them and play with them, even talk to them. In Palestine where Jesus lived, the sheep and the shepherd are in close relationship. The shepherd stays in the pasture day in and day out to keep watch over the sheep to see to it that they are in green pasture and that they are protected from danger Comparatively speaking, Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we believers are the sheep. The Good Shepherd gives his own life for his sheep as the mission he receives from the Father. The Good Shepherd does not only save his own flock but also other sheep outside his flock. Thus Jesus' mission is to save everyone, to unite everyone into one sheepfold. This unification is not yet complete. We as followers and believers of Jesus are invited to participate in his mission to spread the Good News to be known to everyone so that there be one sheepfold under one Shepherd.
St Nereus and St Achilleus were Roman soldiers who were converted to the Christian faith during the time of the Christian persecution. They were true followers of Jesus even at the cost of their own lives for they were made to suffer and later beheaded. St. Pancras was a 14-year old orphan who was brought up by his uncle in Rome. Like Sts Nereus and Achilleus, he became a follower of Jesus and was baptized. Even if he was only a boy, he was arrested and was beheaded.
Let us pray to these three saints that we may understand what it means to be a true follower of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
Prayer Requests:
We pray ...
... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn
... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary
... for families who are in need of healing
... for world peace and reconciliation
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
**************************************************
These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only. Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends, colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the following:
+================================================+
| The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
| priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish
| http://www.marythequeen.org
| Distributed free and for personal use only.
+================================================+
-- Monday Fourth Week of Easter
[St. Nereus and Achilleus; St. Pancras]
Acts 11: 1-18 / Ps 42: 2-3; 43: 3-4 / Jn 10: 11-18
Reading: Acts 11: 1-18
News came to the apostles and the brothers and sisters in Judea that even foreigners had received the Word of God. So, when Peter went up to Jerusalem, these Jewish believers began to argue with him, "You went to the home of uncircumcised people and ate with them!" So Peter began to give them the facts as they had happened, "I was at prayer in the city of Joppa when, in a trance, I saw a vision. Something like a large sheet came down from the sky and drew near to me, landing on the ground by its four corners. As I stared at it, I saw four-legged creatures of the earth, wild beasts and reptiles, and birds of the sky. Then I heard a voice saying to me: 'Get up, Peter, kill and eat!' I replied, 'Certainly not, Lord! No common or unclean creature has ever entered my mouth.' A second time the voice from the heavens spoke, "What God has made clean, you must not call unclean." This happened three times, and then it was all drawn up into the sky. At that moment three men, who had been sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were staying. The Spirit instructed me to go with them without hesitation; so these six brothers came along with me and we entered into the man's house. He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and telling him: Send someone to Joppa and fetch Simon, also known as Peter. He will bring you a message by which you and all your household will be saved." I had begun to address them when suddenly the Holy Spirit came upon them, just as it had come upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If, then, God had given them the same gift that he had given us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to resist God?" When they heard this they set their minds at rest and praised God saying, "Then God has granted life-giving repentance to the pagan nations as well."
Gospel: John 10: 11-18
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Not so the hired hand or any other person who is not the shepherd and to whom the sheep do not belong. They abandon the sheep as soon as they see the wolf coming; then the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep. This is because the hired hand works for pay and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father. Because of this I give my life for my sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. These I have to lead as well, and they shall listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock since there is one Shepherd. The Father loves me because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down freely. It is mine to lay down and to take up again: this mission I received from my Father."
Reflection:
For us in the Philippines who are not familiar with sheep, we do not know the characteristics of a flock of sheep, but we do know that between a pet and its owner, close relationship exists. Many pet owners spend not only money, but also time for their pets - to care for them, train them and play with them, even talk to them. In Palestine where Jesus lived, the sheep and the shepherd are in close relationship. The shepherd stays in the pasture day in and day out to keep watch over the sheep to see to it that they are in green pasture and that they are protected from danger Comparatively speaking, Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we believers are the sheep. The Good Shepherd gives his own life for his sheep as the mission he receives from the Father. The Good Shepherd does not only save his own flock but also other sheep outside his flock. Thus Jesus' mission is to save everyone, to unite everyone into one sheepfold. This unification is not yet complete. We as followers and believers of Jesus are invited to participate in his mission to spread the Good News to be known to everyone so that there be one sheepfold under one Shepherd.
St Nereus and St Achilleus were Roman soldiers who were converted to the Christian faith during the time of the Christian persecution. They were true followers of Jesus even at the cost of their own lives for they were made to suffer and later beheaded. St. Pancras was a 14-year old orphan who was brought up by his uncle in Rome. Like Sts Nereus and Achilleus, he became a follower of Jesus and was baptized. Even if he was only a boy, he was arrested and was beheaded.
Let us pray to these three saints that we may understand what it means to be a true follower of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
Prayer Requests:
We pray ...
... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn
... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary
... for families who are in need of healing
... for world peace and reconciliation
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
**************************************************
These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only. Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends, colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the following:
+================================================+
| The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
| priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish
| http://www.marythequeen.org
| Distributed free and for personal use only.
+================================================+
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# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 11:54 PM 
