DAILY GOSPEL

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68

Sunday, 13 April 2008

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Today the Church celebrates : St. Martin I

See commentary below or click here
Theodore of Mopsuestia : "Whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep."

Acts of the Apostles 2,14.36-41.

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, "You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. Therefore let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified." Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, "What are we to do, my brothers?" Peter (said) to them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call." He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.

First Letter of Peter 2,20-25.

But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong? But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 10,1-10.

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers." Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them. So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came (before me) are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB

Commentary of the day :

Theodore of Mopsuestia (?-428), Bishop of Mopsuestia in Cilicia and theologian
Commentary on St John's Gospel; CSCO 115-116, p197

"Whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep."

Blessed Moses is the doorkeeper of this sheepfold, having established it on the precepts of the law to allow those who lead their lives according to its norms to live by them in full security. The shepherd… leads men like sheep to the pastures of sound doctrine, showing them the food of the word: that on which they must feed at the beginning and that on which they should feed later on. He reveals to them the inner meaning of these words, how Scripture should be understood and also which teaching ought to be set aside, teaching which, perhaps, others will deceivingly teach them to the loss of the sheep…

"Let us seek out, then," says the Lord to the Pharisees, "whether you or I go in by the entrance that the Law prescribes; which of us zealously fulfils the Law's precepts; to whom Moses, the keeper of the sheepfold, truly opens the door; to whom he grants the praise and honor due to his deeds; whom he declares to be the true shepherd. If Moses praises in his book him who fulfils the precepts of the Law, then there is no doubt that the fulfillment of these precepts is to be found, not in you, but in me…

"Without lifting a finger to help the sheep, you seek nothing but your own advantage. That is why you have no authority at all to drive away anyone… But it is with good reason and just cause that I am called shepherd, for in the first place I have carefully observed the Law; then I have taken the door the Law prescribes and which the doorkeeper himself has shown me; and finally, I have zealously carried out everything that needs to be done for the good of the sheep."

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