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Catholic Reflections Daily: Today’s Mass readings Acts 11:1-18; John 10:11-18. Gospel Theme of the day is Who am I to hinder God?
Table of Contents
Catholic Daily Readings For Today
First Reading
Acts 11:1-18
1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem the circumcised believers confronted him, 3 saying, “You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.” 4 Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying, 5 “I was at prayer in the city of Joppa when in a trance I had a vision, something resembling a large sheet coming down, lowered from the sky by its four corners, and it came to me. 6 Looking intently into it, I observed and saw the four-legged animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. 7 I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir, because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a second time a voice from heaven answered, ‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.’ 10 This happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into the sky. 11 Just then three men appeared at the house where we were, who had been sent to me from Caesarea. 12 The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He related to us how he had seen [the] angel standing in his house, saying, ‘Send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter, 14 who will speak words to you by which you and all your household will be saved.’ 15 As I began to speak, the holy Spirit fell upon them as it had upon us at the beginning, 16 and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water but you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?” 18 When they heard this, they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying, “God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too.”
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3, 4 (R. see 42:3ab)
Response: Athirst is my soul for the living God.
or: Alleluia.
Gospel
John 10:11-18
11 I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. 13 This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.”
Powerful Catholic Reflections Daily
Title: Who am I to hinder God?
Indicative: We witness a culture of death in various forms. We experience a tremendous sense of lacking and missing in various aspects. It is in this context we need to adhere to the author of life and abundance
1. “I came to give life and have it in abundance”, says Jesus. Truly we are reeling through a destructive culture of death. Violence and harm mark our days. Some may argue that life is fostered and bettered due to advancement and technology. We do not deny it. But such progress is mostly material and external. But the real culture of life is more a matter of attitude and heart
.2. Further despite material abundance and affluence, there is a deep sense of inner lacking and emptiness. There is a real sense of lack of peace and happiness. This is due to the increasing lack of goodness and faithfulness.
3. Therefore, the words of Jesus that he gives life abundantly are very relevant and urgent. The Lord is the good shepherd. He leads his sheep, feeds them, and grants eternal life. Thieves and robbers and strangers that Jesus mentions refer to Satan and all the false leaders and values. They appear to promote life and abundance. But in reality, they only reduce life and aggravate the sense of meaninglessness.
4. What is needed then? Turn to the good shepherd and follow him. For this, one must repent and be converted. Only repentance of heart and conversion of life is the greatest condition to belong to the good shepherd and experience his life. All the other external requirements like circumcision, food prohibitions, and laws are not guarantees for one’s belonging to the good shepherd as his faithful sheep.
Imperative: Jesus says, his sheep do not follow the stranger but flee from him; rather they know the voice of their true shepherd, and they follow him. Is it true?
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