May 8

May 8, 2017:  Monday, 4th week, Easter

Find about a dozen connections with today?
Legend below

Listen

For Psalms 42-43

Sicut cervus/ Palestrina: about, including English text

As the deer longs/ Hurd

Just like a deer/ Joncas: sheet music, buy

My soul thirsts/ Schutte: non-Spotify excerpt, buy

Like the deer/ Schutte

Psalm 42: As the deer longs/ Harkin

Psalms 42-43:  Like a deer/ Celoni:  sheet music

• "Good Shepherd" hits

Read

• Acts 11:1-18  Jews / Peter:  ‘You ate with the uncircumcised.” / “Three times I had a vision of a sheet from the sky with animals on it, heard ‘Slaughter and eat,’ said, ‘No; nothing unclean has entered my mouth,’ and heard ‘Don't call profane what God has made clean’; then everything returned to the sky.  Three men appeared; the Spirit told me to accompany them.  One said an angel directed, ‘Summon Peter; he'll speak saving words to you.’  As I spoke, the Spirit fell on them.  If God gave them the gift he gave us, who was I to get in the way?” / “God has granted life to the Gentiles too.”

• Ps 42:2-3; 43:3-4  "Athirst is my soul for the living God."  Send your light and fidelity to lead me, and I'll go to God's altar and thank you!

• Jn 10:11-18  “When a hired man sees a wolf, he leaves the sheep and the wolf scatters them, but I am the good shepherd; I know mine and mine know me.  I'll lay down my life for the sheep; I have power to lay it down and to take it up again.  There will be one flock, one shepherd....”

Reflect

• Creighton:  “What are we invested in?”  Why shouldn't the hired hand run away from danger?  He has no deep connection and isn't invested in the outcome.  If we don't ask what we're invested in, we’ll just run away from things and avoid conflict.  The Good Shepherd is invested enough in us to lay down his life.  What do I care about enough to risk negative consequences for?

"I am the Good Shepherd"
(St. John the Baptist Anglican Church)

• One Bread, One Body:  "The died-for":  Jesus, the Good Shepherd, came that we "might have life more abundantly."  Paradoxically, life is given through death.  To give life, Jesus the Good Shepherd laid down his life for his sheep. "There is no greater love than to lay down your life."  "It's rare that someone would lay down his life for a just man, though it is possible someone may have the courage to do so.  But God proves his love for us in that Christ died for us while we were sinners."  We, the "died-for," can't help but ask, "How shall I make a return to the Lord for the good he's done for me?"  "He died for all so that we might live no longer for ourselves but for him who died and was raised up for us."  May we lay down our lives in love....

• Passionist:  The concept of a shepherd-king (leader) is in Israel’s prayers and scriptures.  The notion that the people would be led by one like them from a rural background was warm and enticing.  Their desire for a kind, caring leader in solidarity with them stood in contrast with the Roman occupiers, their rulers, and religious leaders.  Since shepherds had a bottom-rung occupation and low social status, Jesus' choice to be called shepherd clearly signaled his life of service.  Jesus knows us personally, is concerned for us, laid down his life for us, and wants to lead, instruct, and unite us.  May we let him shepherd us....

The Good Shepherd

(St. Anthony's Monastery)

• DailyScripture.net:  "I am the Good Shepherd":  The Old Testament speaks of God as shepherd of his people:  the Lord is my shepherd; give ear, Shepherd of Israel; we are the sheep of his pasture.  The Messiah is also pictured as shepherd of God's people:  He will feed his flock like a shepherd.  Jesus says he's the Good Shepherd who will risk his life to seek out and save the stray; he's the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls.  Jesus promised his followers safety, everlasting life, secure, unending life.  Jewish leaders thought Jesus, speaking as God's equal, was insane, despite his healings.

"He shows how a shepherd may be good, teaching he must be prepared to give up his life in defense of his sheep.  Man departed from the love of God and fell into sin, and so was excluded from paradise; weakened, , he yielded to temptation and became wolves' prey.  But after Christ was announced as the True Shepherd, he laid down his life for us, bearing the Cross for us, destroying death.  He was condemned for us, that he might deliver us from the punishment, fastening to the Cross the decree against us.  As the father of sin shut up the sheep in hell, Jesus died for us as Good, and our Shepherd, so, death driven away, he might join us to the company of the blessed in heaven; and in exchange for abodes in the pit and the sea, grant us mansions in his Father’s house.  Because of this he says Fear not, little flock; it has pleased your Father to give you a kingdom" (Cyril of Alexandria, paraphrased).

• Today's saint, from Universalis:  Bl. Catherine of St. Augustine (Catherine de Longpré), religious, served the poor and sick till she died at 36.

Dress legend

• 'Eyeball' tie pin:  Peter's vision:... (1st reading)

• 'Animals' tie:  "I saw the animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, birds..." (1st reading) 

• 'Angel' pin:  "I saw an angel telling me to summon Peter to speak saving words..." (1st reading)

• 'Dove' pin:  The Spirit directed Peter; the Spirit fell on the Gentiles (1st reading)

• 'Deer' tie pin:  "I long for God as the deer longs for water" (psalm)

• 'Street light' tie bar:  Send your light and your fidelity;... (psalm)

• 'Alps' tie pin:  ...They'll lead me to your holy mountain, your dwelling (psalm)

• 'Sheep' tie bar:  The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (gospel)

• 'Phone' tie bar:  He 'calls' his sheep by name (gospel)

• Red and white shirt:  Red for "slaughter and eat" (1st reading), white for Easter season

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