Jesus, the Model Shepherd

1 St. Gabriel’s 140 Lawton Road, Alsager Parish Priest: Fr. Tony Grace Stoke-on-Trent, ST7 2DE Permanent Deacon: Rev. Eddie Miller Tel: 01270 877736 25th April 2021 4th Sunday of Easter www.stgabrielsalsager.org.uk St. Gabriel’s School & Playgroup, Tel: 875770

St. Thomas More Catholic High

School. www.st- thomasmore.cheshire.sch.uk

Vocations Sunday 2021. Saint Joseph is extraordinary, yet at the same time someone so close to our own ordinary human experiences. He did not do astonishing things, he had no unique charisms (spiritual gifts), nor did he appear special in the eyes of those who met him. He was not famous or even noteworthy: the Gospels do not report even a single word of his. Still, through his ordinary life, he accomplished something extraordinary in the eyes of God. God looks on the heart, and in Joseph he recognised the heart of a father, able to be life-giving in the midst of daily routines. All vocations have this same goal: to give and renew life every day. The Lord desires to shape hearts that are open, capable of great initiatives, generous in self-giving, compassionate in comforting anxieties and steadfast in strengthening hopes. Vocations such as the priesthood and consecrated life greatly need these qualities. In these uncertain times, with the sufferings of the pandemic, with fears about the future and the very meaning of life, Joseph comes to meet us in his gentle way as one of “the saints next door”. Fidelity. The word fidelity means faithfulness – honest, lasting devotion. Joseph is the “righteous man” (Mt 1:19) who each day quietly serves God and his plans. At every particularly difficult moment in his life, he thoughtfully considered how to act, pondering things patiently. He knew that success in life is built on constant fidelity to important decisions. He did this in his trade as a carpenter, and as a father. Any vocation matures only through daily fidelity. Pope Francis writes, “I pray that you will experience this same joy by having made God the dream of your lives, serving him in your brothers and sisters through a fidelity that is a powerful testimony in an age of ephemeral choices and emotions that bring no lasting joy. May Saint Joseph, protector of vocations, accompany you with his fatherly heart!”

Mass Times. Saturday Vigil 24 April 6.30 pm Mass in St. Gabriel’s Church

th 4 Sunday Easter 25 April 1 1.30 am Outside Mass in St. Gabriel’s

School Playground, Well Lane, Alsager.

Monday 26 April 7.30 pm Mass St.Gabriel’s Church.

Friday 30 April 10.00 am, Mass St.Gabriel’s Church.

Saturday 1 May 6.30 pm Mass in St. Gabriel’s Church

Sunday 2 May 11.30 am Outside Mass in St. Gabriel’s School Playground, Well Lane, Alsager. 4th Sunday of Easter. www.pathwaystogod.org 2

Please pray for the eternal rest of the recently deceased, David Roberts, Joyce Higginson RIP, Eileen Longmoor RIP, Theresa Pearson RIP, Baby Gracie-Mae Green RIP, Derek Grime RIP, Valerie Parry RIP, Catherine O’Neill RIP, & those whose anniversaries occur around this time: Karen Bastiman, Catherine Bevan, Patricia Fox, Stella Lyons, Ray Chidlow,John Bagshaw, Mary Cartlidge, Peter Baker, Marjorie Turnock, Hilda Woolf.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SICK: Especially for Andy Lockett, Claire Woods, Dorothy Eccles, Kathleen Briggs, Trefor Campbell, Alma Plummer, Ann Stones, George Lawton, Annie Shallow, Elsie Turnock, Margaret Pearson, Peter Pulford, Betty Bostwick, Joan Phillips, Ben Thomas, Francis Dockery, Anne Connolly, Edith Greatbach, Sean Fitzpatrick, Ashton Hume, Patricia Capp, Teresa Wickham, James Todd, & all in our hospitals & nursing homes.

MASS TIMES WEEK COMMENCING 24TH APRIL 2021

Saturday 24 April Mass 6.30 pm John Bagshaw (Anniv), Joyce Higginson RIP, Hilda Woolf St.Gabriel’s (Anniv), Marjorie Turnock (Anniv), John Whitfield RIP, 4th Sunday of Easter Church Margaret Pearson (sick), Andy Lockett (sick). 25 April 11.30am Margaret Whiteside RIP, Karen Bastiman (5th Anniv), St.Gabriel’s Catherine Bevan (Anniv), Terry Orford (Anniv), Marjorie Day of Special Prayer School Turnock (Anniv), Ann Stones (Sick), Ann Connolly (sick), for Vocations Playground, Well Ashton Hulme (sick). Please bring your own Garden Lane (Mass) Chairs for Outside Mass in School Playground. Monday 26 April 7.00 am Adoration & Confession. St.Gabriel’s Cecil Humphrey Smith RIP, Church Thanksgiving for recovery of Rover 7.30 pm Kate Briggs (sick), Intentions of Emma Tuesday 27 April Mass, St. Anne’s, The Holy Souls Nantwich 10.00 am Wed 28 April No service Thursday 29 April Mass in St The sick St.Catherine of Siena Anne’s Church, Day of special prayer 10.00 am for Europe Friday 30 April 9.30 am Adoration & Confession St.Pius V 10.00 am Baby Leo Dulla (3rd Birthday), Cecil Humphrey-Smith RIP, Mass in St. Mary Cartlidge (Anniv), Ray Chidlow (3rd Anniv), Intentions Gabriel’s Church of the Bright Family Saturday 1 May Mass John Bagshaw (Anniv), Jeremy Camp RIP, Patricia Fox St. Joseph the Worker St.Gabriel’s (Anniv), Mercia Statham RIP, Margaret Pearson (sick) Day of special prayer Church 6.30 pm for human work. 11.30am Margaret Whiteside RIP, Karen Bastiman (5th Anniv), St.Gabriel’s Marjorie Turnock (Anniv) & Derek Grime RIP, John Boote 5th Sunday of Easter School (Anniv), Ann Stones (Sick), Patricia Capp (Sick) 2nd May Playground, Well Please bring your own Garden Chairs for Outside Lane (Mass) Mass in School Playground.

Please contact Fr. Tony at [email protected] for newsletter items Many thanks for your Standing Orders and Offertory envelopes, last weekend £539.59p Diocese of Shrewsbury, Registered Charity Number 234025 Parish Safeguarding Officers, Cathie & Tony Smith 01270 879961

St.Gabriel’s hosts an exhibition created by Blessed Carlo Acutis, born in London in 1991, died in Milan in 2006 aged 15, and beatified in Assisi last October. He had a big devotion to the Eucharist and to the Sacrament of Reconciliation; a 26-minute video is here. In the two years in which he was dying from leukaemia, he decided to assemble a collection of the world's Eucharistic Miracles, which he put onto exhibition panels for anyone to download, for free - you can see them all here. For more information, please go to www.carloacutis.com These Eucharistic miracles are to strengthen our faith. Blessed Carlo Acutis, pray for us, to increase our faith and our devotion to the Holy Eucharist. The miracles are at http://www.miracolieucaristici.org/ There is a youtube video concerning the miracles of the Blessed Sacrament documented by Blessed Carlo Acutis, a 15 year old who died of Leukemia in 2006. He was made Blessed by Pope Francis on the 11 October 2020 in Assisi. Pope Francis said that Carlo was in love with the Eucharist. He did not settle into comfortable inaction, but grasped the needs of his time because in the weakest he saw the face of Christ.” There is a film on YOUTUBE which I have attached that you may want to watch. This film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUOgYiw_OZ0 is 25-minute in length of the life of newly-Blessed Carlo Acuti. The second part (minutes 6:53 - 12:05) shows the in-pew exhibition we are hosting in St.Gabriel’s now.

Thank you to all who have made contributions by standing order and by dropping envelopes into the Presbytery. Your generosity is very much appreciated whilst we are unable to hold weekly collections. If you are able, you can continue to make offertory contributions via bank transfer in lieu of collections. Please contact Sue Edge, Parish Planned Giving organiser, on 01270 876090 for Bank details. We have received some requests for offertory envelopes, so we continue to post them out. We are sending them to the parishioners who have had them in the past and for whom we hold an address.

Online giving to the Parish. For those Parishioners who normally give in the collection at Mass and wish to help the Parish at this time, an online donation page to allow you to donate to the Parish has been added to the Parish website. Please be aware that a minimum donation of £5 is requested if giving in this way. You can also Gift Aid your donation to help the Parish further. If you want to Gift Aid your donation, please tick the box shown on the screen even if you have previously completed a Gift Aid Declaration form in favour of the Parish for regular giving made by Offertory Envelope or Standing Order. An Online giving page has now been created for the Parish using InvestMyCommunity.com The page can be found at: https://investmycommunity.com/not-logged- donator/page/stgabrielalsagerdioceseofshrewsbury2167

For more information, please contact Sue Edge, our St. Gabriel’s parish planned giving and gift aid coordinator on 01270 876090. Thank you for your support. Attention all Gift Aid Donors. The tax year 2020/21 will be coming to an end on 5th April and the Parish will then undertake the process of claiming back the Gift Aid refunds on donations made in the tax year. We are also sending the Boxes of offertory envelopes (2021/2022) for the next year out in the post and you should have received them now. It isn't important if the box number has changed from last year, as these new numbers match the master list that is held. Anyone who wishes to contribute in 4

this manner, please get in touch with Sue Edge (Our Planned Giving Parish Co- ordinator on 01270 876090) and she will arrange to have a Box of Offertory Envelopes or standing order form sent out to you. Also, if you are in the Gift Aid scheme and have moved house in the last year, please could you either let Fr Tony or Deacon Eddie know or contact Sue Edge (876090). Thank you.

NEW... FOR CHILDREN!

Redemptorist Publications is pleased to introduce Celebrate: an initiative designed to help children grow in their faith. Each week we will provide a Children’s Liturgy in the form of a video of the week’s Gospel reading, a reflection and a final prayer. Fun, engaging and practical

worksheets/resources will also be provided to Watch help children continue to practise their faith

during this difficult time. Here

THE BIBLE TIMELINE COURSE. Understand the Bible from start to finish, the Old and New Testament, with this FREE OF CHARGE, worldwide-famous course delivered online LIVE by Mauro Iannicelli. Starts on 7th April 2021 at 7pm (Eight Wednesday evening sessions).Info &

Registration: www.comeandsee.org

BBC Songs of Praise reports on the life and work of Shrewsbury-born Venerable Elizabeth Prout https://youtu.be/ih_pZCbyty4

The Logos & Literature: Elaborating the Divine A series of online evening talks exploring some of the great themes of Catholic Christianity in writing old and new, with Catholic scholars and contemporary authors. Every second Thursday at 7:30pm from 29th April. For info and registration: https://christianheritagecentre.com/events/logos-and-literature/

The Well-being at Home programme is a free, 12 week programme aiming to increase activity levels and improve wellbeing of over 55 year olds living in Cheshire. If you would like to find out more about the programme or the Active Waterways Cheshire project please visit our website www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/activewaterways

Missio Resources for young people. The parish resources, which include Sunday activity sheets and faith-focused craft activities, can be found here: https://missiontogether.org.uk/calendar/parish-resources/ Missio Home schooling activities for children. https://missiontogether.org.uk/school-closures-home-activities Missio At Missio, we are committed to supporting our sisters and brothers around the world, through any challenges, struggles and hardships. We will continue to work as best we can during this coronavirus pandemic. https://missio.org.uk

Please return your Missio Red Boxes for counting. Please leave in Church when open or on doorstep of Presbytery or in the garage. For More information, please go to Missio.org.uk Many thanks. Other ways people can donate the contents of their Red Box at this time when it's difficult to have them emptied. This includes Text Giving and BACS transfers. Information below:

Fratelli tutti is the title Pope Francis has chosen for his encyclical letter dedicated to "human fraternity" and "social friendship". In English, it can be read as ‘All Brothers’, ‘Brethren all’ or ‘Brothers and sisters all’. The first words of the new ‘circular letter’, or encyclical as we know it, come from St Francis of Assisi. https://catholicnews.us6.list- manage.com/track/click?u=8bfb372c271fbad8a971552fb&id=d1814557fa&e=d5cb67f88d

The faithful continue to be dispensed in this national emergency from the obligation to attend Holy Mass on Sundays and Holy Days, such as Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. Those appointed stewards need to be under 70 years, who are not classed as vulnerable or shielding under Covid-19. We would like to enlist reserve stewards as well as the present team. Please email [email protected] or mobile 07851 376925 if you can help. Many thanks. Can you please let your family, friends and contacts know. Look forward to seeing you soon.

Worldwide Prayer Network of the Apostleship of Prayer

A Rain Meditation from St Beuno's Jesuit Spirituality Centre. https://www.pathwaystogod.org/resources/rain-meditation

Join us each Wednesday for inspirational prayer and reflection at www.rpbooks.co.uk/blog as we are guided by Fr Denis McBride

During this pandemic crisis, please see if you can offer any assistance to any elderly person living on their own. A regular call to an elderly relative or neighbour can break down a sense of isolation.

SHREWSBURY YOUTH MISSION. Shrewsbury Youth Mission Team are now fully online and are producing daily resources, prayers, and activities for young people. Their resources are on the website: https://www.symt.org.uk

Life Helplines and Information can be found at http://www.dayforlife.org/article/helplines-and- information-2020/

There is a link to St Anthony’s website to access their streaming service with Fr.Nick Kern. https://www.churchservices.tv/stanthonyswythenshawe https://www.mcnmedia.tv/cameras. Watch a Mass from home. Some churches will stream masses, so a couple of links have been added to our Website on the Mass Times and Prayer Resources page. http://www.churchservices.tv/shrewsburycathedral/embed#tab-player or Church Services TV : https://www.churchservices.tv/timetable/ 8

The National Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham has launched a new website and 24/7 LiVESTREAMING to keep Catholics connected to its cycle of prayer. During the course of the day, there are Talks, Morning/Evening Prayer, Rosary 3 times a day, the Angelus twice a day, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction as well as Holy Mass. For the latest schedule, please visit https://www.walsingham.org.uk

Prayer app - you may wish to try either https://www.sacredspace.ie/ or https://pray-as-you- go.org/home/ or daily reflections at http://ln54.blogspot.com https://www.pathwaystogod.org

St.Gabriel’s Catholic School & Pre-school Admissions. We are welcoming lots of new families to our school community. We still have a few places left for our Pre- School Nursery and Reception class in School in 2021. If you know anyone who is new to the area and/or is looking for a place, please let them know to contact us for details on [email protected] or 01270 875770. For school places, parents have to apply through Cheshire East Admissions. Details are on School website. If you know of anyone interested, please let them know & ask them to contact Mr. Byrne, headteacher for a virtual tour of the School.

Shrewsbury Youth Mission Team – Online Ministry Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by searching for @Shrewsbury_ymt Find us on YouTube by searching for Shrewsbury Youth Mission Team – SYMT, don’t forget to subscribe so you know when we go live or release new content. The Collective – This is a group of young adults (18+) who are meeting together for faith and friendship. The meetings run via Zoom by the team the aim is to reach out to young adults who want to grow in their faith. Anyone interested should email: [email protected]

Diocese of Shrewsbury, St. Monica’s Catholic Primary School, Appleton, Warrington. DEPUTY HEADTEACHER Required for September 2021. E-mail: [email protected]

In April, we pray with Pope Francis for those who risk their lives while fighting to uphold rights under authoritarian regimes and in democracies in crisis. In the midst of darkness something new always springs to life and sooner or later produces fruit. – Pope Francis This month’s focus>> • All over the world, including in England and Wales, people are working to uphold the rights of others against oppression, prejudice and neglect. Our Mission Rosary is a 9

beautiful way to pray for every continent, remembering all those who stand strong in the face of injustice. Pray the Mission Rosary here>> • ‘We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song’ said St John Paul II. We wholeheartedly wish you a joyful and holy Eastertide! Click here for our Easter Greeting>> • This month we give thanks for each and every person called to a life of service to God, and for Missio’s unique role supporting formation in Mission dioceses. Read Anselm’s story here and see how you can support young men like him who are training for Priesthood. Read here>> •

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§ § § § Pope’s Prayer Intention – April 2021 Home » Pope’s Prayer Intention – April 2021 Pope Francis’ Letter for Vocations Sunday 2021 Adapted for Young People

Saint Joseph: The Dream of Vocation

Saint Joseph is extraordinary, yet at the same time someone so close to our own ordinary human experiences. He did not do astonishing things, he had no unique charisms (spiritual gifts), nor did he appear special in the eyes of those who met him. He was not famous or even noteworthy: the Gospels do not report even a single word of his. Still, through his ordinary life, he accomplished something extraordinary in the eyes of God.

God looks on the heart, and in Joseph he recognised the heart of a father, able to be life-giving in the midst of daily routines. All vocations have this same goal: to give and renew life every day.

The Lord desires to shape hearts that are open, capable of great initiatives, generous in self-giving, compassionate in comforting anxieties and steadfast in strengthening hopes. Vocations such as the priesthood and consecrated life greatly need these qualities. In these uncertain times, with the sufferings of the pandemic, with fears about the future and the very meaning of life, Joseph comes to meet us in his gentle way as one of “the saints next door”.

Saint Joseph’s witness suggests to us three key words for each individual’s vocation. 11

Dream

Everyone dreams of finding fulfilment in life – but goals like success, money and entertainment cannot truly satisfy. If we were to ask people to express in one idea their life’s dream, it would be “to be loved”. Love gives meaning to life, because it reveals life’s mystery: we only have life if we give love; we only truly possess love if we generously give it away. Through the dreams that God inspired in him, Saint Joseph made his life a gift.

Saint Joseph’s Four Dreams – Calls from God

After each dream, Joseph had to change his plans and take a risk to follow God’s plans. Why put so much trust in a dream? Because Joseph’s heart was directed to God, he could recognise God’s voice.

This also applies to our calling: God does not like to reveal himself spectacularly, pressuring us. He shares his plans gently, quietly speaking to the depths of our heart through our thoughts and feelings.

God’s call to a vocation always urges us to have the courage to take a first step – there can be no faith without risk. Joseph’s dreams upended his plans, but led him to experiences he would never

Pope Francis has written to the world about Saint Joseph. In his letter, Patris corde (With a Father’s Heart) the Pope has dedicated this year to Saint Joseph, marking the 150th anniversary of him being declared Patron of the Universal Church, with the aim “to increase our love for this great saint.” In this letter for Vocations Sunday, he reflects further on Saint Joseph and vocation.

Matthew 1:20-21 Matthew 2:13

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as “Get up, take the child and his mother with you, your wife ... she will give birth to a son and you must name and escape into Egypt and stay there until I tell him Jesus...” you...” Matthew 2:19 Matthew 2:22

“Get up, take the child and his mother back to the land of Being warned in a dream he withdrew to the Israel...” region of Galilee. have imagined. Only by setting aside our own ideas and plans do we truly say “yes” to God’s grace. Every “yes” bears fruit because it becomes part of a larger design, of which we glimpse only details, but which the divine Artist knows and carries out, making a masterpiece of every life. 12

Saint Joseph is an outstanding example of proactive acceptance of God’s plans. May he help everyone – especially young people who are discerning – make God’s dreams for them come true. May he inspire in them the courage to say “yes” to the Lord who always surprises and never disappoints.

Service

The Gospels show how Joseph lived entirely for others and never for himself. Whatever our vocation - whether to marriage, apostolic celibacy, holy orders or religious life - it involves the gift of oneself.

For Joseph, service became a rule for daily life. He found and prepared a place where Jesus could be born, protected him from Herod with a hasty journey into Egypt, returned to Jerusalem when Jesus was lost and supported his family by his work (even in a foreign land). He adapted to these circumstances without being discouraged when life did not turn out as he wished; he showed the willingness typical of those who live to serve without complaining, ever ready to give a hand to help resolve situations. He acted as the outstretched hand of our heavenly Father reaching out to his Son on earth. Joseph cannot fail to be a model for all vocations; all are called to be the ever- active hands of the Father, outstretched to his children.

I like to think, then, of Saint Joseph, the protector of Jesus and of the Church, as the protector of vocations. The Gospel tells us that “Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night” (Mt 2:14). He wasted no time fretting over things he could not control; he gave full attention to those in his care. This concern is the sign of a true vocation, a life touched by the love of God. We give a beautiful example of Christian life when we refuse to pursue our ambitions or indulge in our illusions, but instead care for what the Lord has entrusted to us through the Church! God then pours out his Spirit and creativity upon us; he works wonders in us, as he did in Joseph.

Fidelity

The word fidelity means faithfulness – honest, lasting devotion.

Joseph is the “righteous man” (Mt 1:19) who each day quietly serves God and his plans. At every particularly difficult moment in his life, he thoughtfully considered how to act, pondering things patiently. He knew that success in life is built on constant fidelity to important decisions. He did this in his trade as a carpenter, and as a father. Any vocation matures only through daily fidelity.

Our fidelity is nurtured in the light of God’s own faithfulness. The first words that Saint Joseph heard in a dream were “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid” (Mt 1:20). We need not be afraid because God remains ever faithful to his promises. Do not be afraid: the Lord also addresses these words to you whenever you act on your desire to give your life to him. He repeats these words when you seek to follow his will every day. They are words you will hear anew at every step of your vocation; they accompany all those who – like Saint Joseph – say yes to God with their lives. This fidelity is the secret of joy experienced daily by those who care for what truly matters: faithful closeness to God and to our neighbour.

I pray that you will experience this same joy by having made God the dream of your lives, serving him in your brothers and sisters through a fidelity that is a powerful testimony in an age of ephemeral choices and emotions that bring no lasting joy.

May Saint Joseph, protector of vocations, accompany you with his fatherly heart!

25 April 2021 Year B • Psalter Week 4 Fourth Sunday of Easter 25 APRIL 2021 4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON so it is in my power to take it up again; 2. I will thank you for you have given answer The merciful love of the Lord fills the earth; and this is the command I have been given and you are my saviour. by the word of the Lord the heavens were by my Father.” made, alleluia. The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone. The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. GLORIA This is the work of the Lord, a marvel in our eyes. (R.) THE WORD Year B • Psalter Week 4 Glory to God in the highest, PROFESSION OF FAITH and on earth peace to people of good will. 3. Blessed in the name of the Lord I believe in God, We praise you, is he who comes. the Father almighty, we bless you, We bless you from the house of the Lord; Creator of heaven and earth, we adore you, I will thank you for you have given answer and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, SAY we glorify you, and you are my saviour. (all bow during the next two lines) we give you thanks for your great glory, Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; Jesus is the model shepherd: Lord God, heavenly King, for his love has no end. (R.) who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, O God, almighty Father. born of the Virgin Mary, JESUS, he knows my name. suffered under Pontius Pilate, (see John 10:11) Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, SECOND READING 1 John 3:1-2 was crucified, died and was buried; THE MODEL Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, A reading from the first letter of St John. he descended into hell; you take away the sins of the world, on the third day he rose again from the dead; SHEPHERD have mercy on us; Think of the love that the Father has lavished he ascended into heaven, (JOHN 10:11-18) you take away the sins of the world, on us, and is seated at the right hand of God the receive our prayer; by letting us be called God’s children; Father almighty; LEARN you are seated at the right hand of the Father, and that is what we are. from there he will come to judge the living There is only one commandment in the have mercy on us. Because the world refused to acknowledge and the dead. Fourth Gospel: “love one another”. For you alone are the Holy One, him, I believe in the Holy Spirit, you alone are the Lord, therefore it does not acknowledge us. the holy catholic Church, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, My dear people, we are already the children the communion of saints, There is no equivalent to the Sermon on the with the Holy Spirit, of God the forgiveness of sins, Mount (Matthew) or on the Plain (Luke) in in the glory of God the Father. but what we are to be in the future has not the resurrection of the body, the Gospel according to John. Amen. yet been revealed; and life everlasting. all we know is, that when it is revealed Amen. The figure of the shepherd is used in the we shall be like him COLLECT Hebrew scriptures to refer to the leaders of because we shall see him as he really is. Almighty ever-living God, PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS Israel, often in a context of criticism. lead us to a share in the joys of heaven, The word of the Lord. Grant, we pray, O Lord, so that the humble flock may reach Thanks be to God. that we may always find delight in these where the brave Shepherd has gone before. paschal mysteries, Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of GOSPEL ACCLAMATION so that the renewal constantly at work within DO the Holy Spirit, Alleluia, alleluia! us The readings from the Gospels continue to reflect on Jesus’ fulfilling the God, for ever and ever. I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; may be the cause of our unending joy. Notice the people in the street as you walk Amen. I know my own sheep and my own know Through Christ our Lord. mission given to him by the Father. He reflects on the difference between along: do you imagine Jesus having a me. Amen. himself as “the model shepherd” and the one who simply does the job general interest in their well-being or his FIRST READING Acts 4:8-12 Alleluia! having a personal interest in each one? How COMMUNION ANTIPHON for money and is not committed to the members of the flock for any other do you feel he relates to yourself? A reading from the Acts of the Apostles. GOSPEL John 10:11-18 The Good Shepherd has risen, reason. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter said: who laid down his life for his sheep “Rulers of the people, and elders! If you A reading from the holy Gospel according to and willingly died for his flock, alleluia. The essential factor is that the paid employee has no meaningful relationship with those are questioning us today about an act of John. entrusted to his care: elsewhere, Jesus likens himself to the shepherd who knows all the kindness to a cripple, and asking us how he Jesus said: PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION sheep by name, illustrated by his addressing Mary Magdalene by name at the tomb on was healed, then I am glad to tell you all, and Look upon your flock, kind Shepherd, Easter Day. We might note that, although the Hebrew scriptures talk about the messianic “I am the good shepherd: would indeed be glad to tell the whole people and be pleased to settle in eternal pastures the good shepherd is one who lays down shepherd who will gather the scattered people together, there is no notion of one who will of Israel, that it was by the name of Jesus the sheep you have redeemed his life for his sheep. give his life for the flock. Christ the Nazarene, the one you crucified, by the Precious Blood of your Son. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd whom God raised from the dead, by this Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. and the sheep do not belong to him, Jesus’ commitment to the Father is shown by his being willing freely to lay down his life name and by no other that this man is able Amen. abandons the sheep and runs away and take it up again, as he will demonstrate later in the washing of the disciples’ feet at to stand up perfectly healthy, here in your as soon as he sees a wolf coming, the Last Supper. Thus, what happens to Jesus is not some tragic accident, but rather “the presence today. This is the stone rejected by and then the wolf attacks and scatters the command I have been given by my Father”. It is in this mystery that the love of the Father you the builders, but which has proved to sheep; will be revealed, difficult though it may be for us to understand. be the keystone. For of all the names in the this is because he is only a hired man world given to men, this is the only one by and has no concern for the sheep. which we can be saved.” I am the good shepherd; The word of the Lord. I know my own REFLECT Thanks be to God. and my own know me, just as the Father knows me ne reason why farmers apparently the Easter mystery tells us about Jesus, Church is the people of God, but not PSALM Psalm 117 and I know the Father; are reluctant to give names to their ourselves and what being a disciple in the sense of an amorphous crowd: and I lay down my life for my sheep. Oanimals is that it makes them in a means. John’s thought is that of a community Response: And there are other sheep I have sense into pets and so would cause all of committed individuals, each with The stone which the builders rejected that are not of this fold, sorts of problems when the time comes In the Gospel reading today, Jesus is not a personal relationship to Jesus, a has become the corner stone. and these I have to lead as well. to send them to be slaughtered for saying that he has power to lay down and relationship marked by love. There is or They too will listen to my voice, their meat. On the other hand, there are take up his life again, so much as that he very little ethical teaching, such as we Alleluia! and there will be only one flock stories of tough and seasoned shepherds has authority to do so. He stresses that find in the Synoptic Gospels, in the and one shepherd. this is his own decision, freely taken. 1. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, being reduced to tears when their version according to John. This means The Father loves me, for his love has no end. dog, which has been their companion We might consider that what matters in that it can be more demanding: love is because I lay down my life It is better to take refuge in the Lord perhaps for many years, has to be put the end is our own personal relationship often more challenging – and exhausting in order to take it up again. than to trust in men: down to spare it further suffering. The with Jesus. It is easy to imagine the – than simply living by rules imposed No one takes it from me; it is better to take refuge in the Lord difference in reaction reveals the contrast Church as a sea of anonymous faces, for from outside ourselves. I lay it down of my own free will, than to trust in princes. (R.) in relationship. In our Gospel reading example as pictures of St Peter’s Square and as it is in my power to lay it down, today, we are invited to reflect on what suggest: there is truth in this, that the

Concordat cum originali: + Eamon Martin Archbishop of Armagh. Commentary by Fr Anthony Cassidy CSsR. The English translation of the entrance and communion antiphons, the opening prayers, prayers over the gifts, gloria, creed, and prayers after communion from The Roman Missal, © 2010 International Commission of English in the Liturgy Corporation. Jerusalem Bible version of the scriptures copyright: Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd., and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Responsorial psalms are copyright The Grail and/or Geoffrey Chapman Ltd. Published in Ireland by Redemptorist Communications (www.redcoms.org); Published in the UK by Redemptorist Publications (www.rpbooks.co.uk)

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25 April 2021 Year B • Psalter Week 4 Fourth Sunday of Easter 25 APRIL 2021 4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER

you alone are the Lord, therefore it does not acknowledge us. the holy catholic Church, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, My dear people, we are already the children the communion of saints, There is no equivalent to the Sermon on the with the Holy Spirit, of God the forgiveness of sins, Mount (Matthew) or on the Plain (Luke) in in the glory of God the Father. but what we are to be in the future has not the resurrection of the body, the Gospel according to John. Amen. yet been revealed; and life everlasting. all we know is, that when it is revealed Amen. The figure of the shepherd is used in the we shall be like him COLLECT Hebrew scriptures to refer to the leaders of because we shall see him as he really is. Almighty ever-living God, PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS Israel, often in a context of criticism. lead us to a share in the joys of heaven, The word of the Lord. Grant, we pray, O Lord, so that the humble flock may reach Thanks be to God. that we may always find delight in these where the brave Shepherd has gone before. paschal mysteries, Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of GOSPEL ACCLAMATION so that the renewal constantly at work within DO the Holy Spirit, Alleluia, alleluia! us The readings from the Gospels continue to reflect on Jesus’ fulfilling the God, for ever and ever. I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; may be the cause of our unending joy. Notice the people in the street as you walk Amen. I know my own sheep and my own know Through Christ our Lord. mission given to him by the Father. He reflects on the difference between along: do you imagine Jesus having a me. Amen. himself as “the model shepherd” and the one who simply does the job general interest in their well-being or his FIRST READING Acts 4:8-12 Alleluia! having a personal interest in each one? How COMMUNION ANTIPHON for money and is not committed to the members of the flock for any other do you feel he relates to yourself? A reading from the Acts of the Apostles. GOSPEL John 10:11-18 The Good Shepherd has risen, reason. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter said: who laid down his life for his sheep “Rulers of the people, and elders! If you A reading from the holy Gospel according to and willingly died for his flock, alleluia. The essential factor is that the paid employee has no meaningful relationship with those are questioning us today about an act of John. entrusted to his care: elsewhere, Jesus likens himself to the shepherd who knows all the kindness to a cripple, and asking us how he Jesus said: PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION sheep by name, illustrated by his addressing Mary Magdalene by name at the tomb on was healed, then I am glad to tell you all, and Look upon your flock, kind Shepherd, Easter Day. We might note that, although the Hebrew scriptures talk about the messianic “I am the good shepherd: would indeed be glad to tell the whole people and be pleased to settle in eternal pastures the good shepherd is one who lays down shepherd who will gather the scattered people together, there is no notion of one who will of Israel, that it was by the name of Jesus the sheep you have redeemed his life for his sheep. give his life for the flock. Christ the Nazarene, the one you crucified, by the Precious Blood of your Son. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd whom God raised from the dead, by this Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. and the sheep do not belong to him, Jesus’ commitment to the Father is shown by his being willing freely to lay down his life name and by no other that this man is able Amen. abandons the sheep and runs away and take it up again, as he will demonstrate later in the washing of the disciples’ feet at to stand up perfectly healthy, here in your as soon as he sees a wolf coming, the Last Supper. Thus, what happens to Jesus is not some tragic accident, but rather “the presence today. This is the stone rejected by and then the wolf attacks and scatters the command I have been given by my Father”. It is in this mystery that the love of the Father you the builders, but which has proved to sheep; will be revealed, difficult though it may be for us to understand. be the keystone. For of all the names in the this is because he is only a hired man world given to men, this is the only one by and has no concern for the sheep. which we can be saved.” I am the good shepherd; The word of the Lord. I know my own REFLECT Thanks be to God. and my own know me, just as the Father knows me ne reason why farmers apparently the Easter mystery tells us about Jesus, Church is the people of God, but not PSALM Psalm 117 and I know the Father; are reluctant to give names to their ourselves and what being a disciple in the sense of an amorphous crowd: and I lay down my life for my sheep. Oanimals is that it makes them in a means. John’s thought is that of a community Response: And there are other sheep I have sense into pets and so would cause all of committed individuals, each with The stone which the builders rejected that are not of this fold, sorts of problems when the time comes In the Gospel reading today, Jesus is not a personal relationship to Jesus, a has become the corner stone. and these I have to lead as well. to send them to be slaughtered for saying that he has power to lay down and relationship marked by love. There is or They too will listen to my voice, their meat. On the other hand, there are take up his life again, so much as that he very little ethical teaching, such as we Alleluia! and there will be only one flock stories of tough and seasoned shepherds has authority to do so. He stresses that find in the Synoptic Gospels, in the and one shepherd. this is his own decision, freely taken. 1. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, being reduced to tears when their version according to John. This means The Father loves me, for his love has no end. dog, which has been their companion We might consider that what matters in that it can be more demanding: love is because I lay down my life It is better to take refuge in the Lord perhaps for many years, has to be put the end is our own personal relationship often more challenging – and exhausting in order to take it up again. than to trust in men: down to spare it further suffering. The with Jesus. It is easy to imagine the – than simply living by rules imposed No one takes it from me; it is better to take refuge in the Lord difference in reaction reveals the contrast Church as a sea of anonymous faces, for from outside ourselves. I lay it down of my own free will, than to trust in princes. (R.) in relationship. In our Gospel reading example as pictures of St Peter’s Square and as it is in my power to lay it down, today, we are invited to reflect on what suggest: there is truth in this, that the

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Feast Days this week St Catherine of Siena 29th April. Virgin, doctor of the church (1347-1380) Catherine was born in Siena, Italy and died in Rome. Committed to the practice of prayer and penance from an early stage, she entered the Dominican Third Order whilst an adolescent. She became an influential spiritual leader and made strenuous efforts to reconcile Church and state and to reform the Roman papacy. She is remembered for her holiness and determination and, though she never learned to write, for the quality of her teachings and also as a mystic and a reformer of religious life. St Pius V 30th April. Pope (1504-1572) Michael Ghislieri was born near Alessandria and died in Rome. He taught philosophy and theology as a Dominican presbyter and became a diocesan bishop. Elected Pope om 1565, he was noted for his reforming zeal. His excommunication of Elizabeth I hardened the split between Catholics and Protestants. Chiefly he is remembered for implementing the reforms of the Council of Trent. St Joseph the Worker 1 May. This commemoration, instituted by Pius XII in 1955, proposed the example of intercession of Joseph as worker and provider. On this date many countries celebrate the dignity and cause of human labour. 16