Gospel: April 23, 2024
(Tuesday)
4th Week of Easter
Psalter: Week 4 / (White/Red)
St. George, martyr
St. Adalbert, bishop & martyr
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 87: 1b-3, 4-5, 6-7
All you nations, praise the Lord.
1st Reading: Acts 11: 19-26
Those who had been scattered, because of the persecution over Stephen, traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, proclaiming the message, but only to the Jews. But there were some natives of Cyprus and Cyrene among them who, on coming into Antioch, spoke also to the Greeks, giving them the good news of the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them so that a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
News of this reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the manifest signs of God’s favor, he rejoiced and urged them all to remain firmly faithful to the Lord; for he, himself, was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. Thus large crowds came to know the Lord.
Then Barnabas went off to Tarsus, to look for Saul; and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year, they had meetings with the Church and instructed many people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
Gospel: John 10: 22-30
The time came for the feast of the Dedication. It was winter, and Jesus walked back and forth in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in doubt? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have already told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name proclaim who I am, but you don’t believe because, as I said, you are not my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice and I know them; they follow me and I give them eternal life. They shall never perish, and no one will ever steal them from me. What my Father has given me, is greater than all things else. To snatch it out of the Father’s hand, no one is able! I and the Father are one.
Reflection: “Stewards of the earth.”
We are called to be good stewards of the earth. The challenge to care for whatever God has given us becomes even more relevant today as the problem pertaining to climate crisis turns from worse to worst. When it comes to stewardship, Jesus remains to be our model par excellence. Today’s Gospel highlights Jesus’ sense of care. He does not want and will never lose whatever the Father has given him. Here, Jesus referred to the sheep which in turn point to his disciples. However, we may reflect that the challenge is to exercise that same sense of care—both for one another or the rest of other creatures (cf. Jn. 1:3; 17:2). Laudato Si’ makes it clear that our sense of care for one another cannot be separated from our sense of care for the natural world. Pope Francis puts it, “We have only one heart, and the same wretchedness which leads us to mistreat an animal will not be long in showing itself in our relationships with other people.” (LS 92). God has given us so much. He gave us the entire natural world to nourish us. Why can we not take care of whatever God has given us?
