May 8 2022

First reading Acts 13:14,43-52

‘We must turn to the pagans’

Paul and Barnabas carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the Sabbath and took their seats.

When the meeting broke up many Jews and devout converts joined Paul and Barnabas, and in their talks with them Paul and Barnabas urged them to remain faithful to the grace God had given them.

The next sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God. When they saw the crowds, the Jews, prompted by jealousy, used blasphemies and contradicted everything Paul said. 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.

Responsorial Psalm 99(100):1-3,5

We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Alleluia.

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.

Second reading Apocalypse 7:9,14-17

The Lamb will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water

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.’

Gospel John 10:27-30

I know my sheep and they follow me

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.’

_____________________

Listen and follow the Shepherd

We often associate this day with praying for priestly and religious
vocations as we celebrate Good Shepherd’s Sunday. It is also a day for
all of us as baptised people to reflect on our own baptismal vocation.
We, as baptised Christians, have the vocation to listen to the voice of
Jesus, our Shepherd and follow Him. When we do not listen to Jesus,
we end up listening to the voices of society that can sometimes lead us
to distance ourselves from Him and His values. How can we listen to
Jesus? Jesus is present in the Scripture, and there, He encounters us
and speaks to us. Let us strive to become Jesus’ sheep that listen to His
voice and allow His word to renew our faith and transform our lives.

Our listening should lead us to follow Jesus by living a life of love and
service as He did. We are to help the poor as He did, be the voice for
the voiceless as He did, and face life with trust in God as He did. Today,
let us renew our response to His call.

Question for reflection:
Am I willing to listen attentively to Jesus and follow Him with greater
faithfulness?

Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.