26 April 2026 – 4th Sunday of Easter, (A)
26 April 2026 – 4th Sunday of Easter, (A)
1st Reading: Acts 2:14, 36-41
Paul and Barnabas preach the Gospel first to the Jews, then to pagans, who receive it with joy
Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. . . Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty 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 said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”
And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.
Responsorial: Psalm 22: 1-6
R./: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit. (R./)
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort. (R./)
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing. (R./)
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever. (R./)
2nd Reading: 1 Peter 2:20-25
In praise of the early martyrs, who came triumphantly through times of great persecution trusting in Christ, the Good Shepherd
If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
Gospel: John 10:1-10
Christ is the true Shepherd, each one personally; and no one can take away his sheep
“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
Again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
The Good Shepherd
Jesus often illustrated his teaching by referring to shepherds and sheep. He sees himself as the Good Shepherd foretold by the prophets. Today’s gospel considers the relationship between the Good Shepherd and the sheep. The imagery is old. The message is topical. It is relevant to us. By faith we accept Jesus, Our relationship is a deeply personal one. The bond of love uniting us is based on the love that unites the Father and Jesus. Our new existence is founded on God’s unbreakable love and faithfulness.
In order to enter eternal life we must listen to Jesus and obey him. The alternative opening prayer puts this in practical terms. We have to tune our minds to the sound of his voice. Self-centredness can make us deaf to the voice of Jesus. Easy options can draw us into easier paths than the one he has traced. Pressure to abandon Christian principles is inevitable. But God is faithful and will not let us be tempted beyond our strength. No one can drag us away from him, The Father has entrusted us to his Son. The same God who kept faith with Jesus by raising him from the dead will also raise us by his power.
Paul and Barnabas ‘spoke out boldly’, and made an impact. A courageous proclamation of the gospel to our contemporaries can be as fruitful now as it was in apostolic times. All the baptized, particularly those who are confirmed, are bound to spread the faith. Laity as well as priests and religious are in the service of the Risen Lord. Our faith urges us to take personal part in the work of evangelisation. Are we doing so? How many evils persist in our society just because good people say nothing and do nothing? A breviary hymn of Eastertide (no.25) spells out what is expected of us by the Risen Lord: Now he bids us tell abroad/How the lost may be restored/How the penitent forgiven/ How we too may enter heaven.
“Good Shepherd Sunday” is a good occasion for us to think and pray about how the catholic church will fare for priests in the future. In Ireland right now it appears that the average age of ordained priests is about sixty five, a statistic that demands significant change in how to recruit priests for the future, and what is to be expected of them. Padraig McCarthy made this point thus, “there is no such thing as a priestless parish. There may not be an ordained priest there, but the parish is a priestly people. How will this priesthood of the baptised take flesh in the coming decades? What factors which had value in the past are now hindering the mission of the church? What new model of ministerial priesthood is needed?”
Here are three questions worth pondering by us all, bishops, priests and laity:
1) Who will be the true shepherds in the coming years?
2) How will those shepherds carry out the mission to those outside the fold?
3) What needs to change so that each community can celebrate the Eucharistic every Sunday?
Thank you for the challenge :
“Here are three questions worth pondering by us all, bishops, priests and laity:
1) Who will be the true shepherds in the coming years?
2) How will those shepherds carry out the mission to those outside the fold?
3) What needs to change so that each community can celebrate the Eucharistic every Sunday?”
It would be a big step forward if these questions – which are surfacing widely in the Irish Synodal Pathway – were actually asked in the homilies – (including the RTÉ televised Good Shepherd Sunday Mass).
Some may even notice in the process that only men are presently allowed to preach homilies at Mass!
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026/04/05/denial-of-a-vocation-to-women-isnt-just-discomfort-it-is-spiritual-abuse/
Key Message:
Are you in the hands of your good shepherd?
Homily:
Testimony: “Me and my friend often go for walk. I am a satisfied person, so I do know have any complaints. I live happily with my family, in my one-bedroom house. My friend talks so much about her insufficiency, though she owns a big three-storey bungalow. I really wondered what kept her so unhappy all the time. So much that at the end of the walk, I would return home completely drained out, hearing her complaints. When I was reading through the Bible verse ‘The thief came to steal and Jesus came to give life abundantly,’ I understood the real reason. The thief, the devil is stealing all her joy through her thoughts, and Jesus is showering me with peace, again through my thoughts.”
Have you ever wondered … why do some people live such a useful, meaningful life … while others struggle and feel like they accomplish very little?
And maybe deep inside you are asking:
“Lord … how do I live the life You have planned for me?”
“How do I accomplish what You created me for?”
Our Jesus Christ gives us the answer, through today’s Gospel:
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Let us understand this clearly. Abundant life is not just a materialistic life, like more money or success.
We have seen people with everything … still empty but people with less … still joyful and impactful.
In a manger, St. Joseph and Mamma Mary did not have any material blessings, but they had abundant overflowing life in them. They were aware that they were fulfilling the will of God. So their hearts did not crave for anything more. They lived their lives with satisfied hearts.
All that matters is our relationship with our Jesus. When we are close with our Lord Jesus, abundant life will flow from us too.
Our Lord Jesus calls you, “You are My sheep.”
Now think about this beautiful image. When a sheep belongs to the shepherd, the shepherd takes responsibility for the sheep.
So if you feel that you are wandering away from His presence, you can go back to His presence.
When you become part of Jesus’s flock, when He sees you tired, or weak, He carries you.
Are you trying to do everything alone? Or are you saying, “Lord, I cannot do this without You”?
Don’t wander alone. Realise that there is your Jesus waiting for you, to carry you on His shoulders.
Our Lord Jesus also warns us in today’s Gospel, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.”
Our enemy, the devil, tries to steal our life through negative thinking, fear and anxiety, distraction, comparison and any sin that slowly pulls us away
He does not attack loudly. He slowly drains your purpose.
Practical tips:
1. Stay connected to Jesus daily.
Start with 10 minutes. Even before you lift your head from the pillow, talk with Him. The Bible says in Psalm 121:3-4, that God watches you even while sleeping, without Him sleeping. Let’s think about it. Every night our Father watches over us continuously while sleeping, but in the morning we forget Him. As soon as we get up, we start worrying.Let us give our sweet smile to our Father, or talk with Him as soon as we wake up.
As we all know, relationships grow when we invest time. Can we invest time in our most important relationship?
2. Stop trying to do everything alone. Do it together with Jesus.
Instead of saying: “I will manage”, say, “Jesus, help me in this.”
3. Trust Him even when you do not understand.
You may not see the full picture but the Shepherd knows the path.
4. Be sensitive to the little voice.
Listen to that gentle inner voice: “Do this”, “Avoid this”, “Be patient”. This is the voice of your Good Shepherd.
5. Recognise that the negative thoughts are from the enemy. The enemy did not even spare Jesus. He tested our Lord in the desert. So be sure that you will be tested by him. He is not going to give you a red carpet welcome when you try to do something good. So be aware that he is planning to walk through your own thoughts, or through your family or through your well wishes. They will not even know that the enemy is using them to hinder your progress. So do not be angry at them. Pray for them and stay focussed in your beautiful agenda for your life.
Let Jesus carry you when you are overwhelmed. Do not quit. Just ask our Jesus, “Lord, carry me.”
The prophetic books of the OT are full of warning against false prophets. Jesus warns against fake messiahs. This is a topic that is very timely now that AI is spewing misinformation and deepfake videos all the time. How to we practice discernment? What are the criteria to check true from false? People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them.” (Luke 17:23)
“Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5)
Today’s gospel, from John 10, is likewise primarily concerned with warnings against false shepherds, and with the criteria for identifying them:
“anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.” Then: “I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.”
From the start the church was surrounded by fake cults, all freely exploiting the name of Christ and inventing fantastic tales. Finding criteria by which the true teaching could be recognized was no easy task. Apostolic authority, the rule of faith, the canon of scripture, all of these may sound like fussy ecclesiastical issues, but they were really urgent responses to an existential threat. Today misinformation is rife and is not longer a joke — it is an existential threat.
Outlandish conspiracy theories are rife on the internet, and one involving UFOs has been taken up by the White House (as The Guardian reports). Many people’s minds are corrupted by a diet of conspiracy theories, and the internet feeds on people’s paranoia and other pathologies
Copilot, the AI service, declared to me many times that there is no such person as Pope Leo XIV. Finally I got it to admit the truth, and asked it to admit it was a public danger, because of spreading such misinformation. It said, no, because it does not make real-life decisions but leaves things to the user’s judgment, and its mistakes will be readily corrected. But to correct such a basic error proved really difficult. I wonder how many people have died because of AI misinformation, for instance if they ask for health advice. But who would be so naive as to follow Copilot instead of consulting a real doctor? Many people, especially if they cannot afford a doctor.
The Franco-Prussian war was sparked by a telegram (or so we were told in school). AI plays a role in the disinformation that is a major weapon in modern warfare.
This could be a suitable topic for a sermon this morning, April 26.