Jesus said: I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 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. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. 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. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 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. John 10:11-18 Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Easter Good Shepherd Sunday. In this 'throwback' image three men lay down their lives during their priestly ordination.
For I do not seek to understand in order to believe, but I believe in order to understand. For I believe this: unless I believe, I will not understand. - St. Anselm of Canterbury April 21 is the feast of St. Anselm of Canterbury, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Born in Italy in 1033, Anselm joined the Benedictine abbey of Bec in France and was ordained a priest at the age of 27 and elected Abbot 15 years later. In 1093 he was appointed the Archbishop of Canterbury. In that position he struggled against the English kings to maintain the Churches freedom from political entanglements. St. Anselm is remembered as the 'Father of Scholasticism' for his defense of faith using intellectual reasoning in addition to scripture. St. Anselm of Canterbury - Pray for us
Jesus said to them, Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever. - John 6:53-58
Jesus said to the crowds: I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world. - John 6:48-51
Jesus said to the crowds, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. But I told you that although you have seen me, you do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day. John 6:35-40
After death, we are not alone. We are still part of the Church, the Church of the saints in heaven, of the souls in purgatory and of believers on earth, which remembers us and keeps us in prayer. - Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I. Today we prayerfully remember Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I. Who entered eternity on April 17, 2015.
Why must we suffer? Because here below pure Love cannot exist without suffering. O Jesus, Jesus, I no longer feel my cross when I think of yours. - St. Bernadette of Lourdes
Jesus said to the Pharisees: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. - John 10:11-16 Gospel reading for the Second Sunday after Easter Good Shepherd Sunday in the 1962 Missal.