Fourth Sunday
of Easter, Cycle A
General Intercessions
Celebrant: With trust in the Risen Lord,
let us offer Him our petitions.
Deacon/Lector:
That the upcoming visit of Pope Benedict to
the United States may bear fruit in the hearts and minds of all, especially
the young, we pray to the Lord...
That world leaders may pursue the path of
true peace, which is based on justice and the protection of human rights, we
pray to the Lord...
That many may hear and answer the call to
become priests, deacons, and religious brothers and sisters, we pray to the
Lord...
That as followers of Jesus, who came that all
may have life, we may actively oppose abortion, euthanasia, capital
punishment, and all assaults on human dignity, we pray to the Lord...
That those who are ill may be surrounded by
the love, prayers, and concern of all the followers of Christ, we pray to
the Lord...
That those who have died may be granted the
fullness of life and resurrection, we pray to the Lord...
Celebrant:
Father,
We thank you for your Son, the Good Shepherd.
May we be faithful to Him,
As He protects us from evil
And leads us to all that is good,
For He is Lord forever and ever. Amen.
Bulletin Insert
“While there are many moral concerns that
candidates need to address, concern for protecting the unborn needs to be at
the top of the list. How indeed can we speak of other human rights if, as a
nation, we are not prepared to protect the first and most basic human right
- the right to life itself? ….As Catholics, we believe in the inherent
dignity of all life, created as we are in God's image and likeness. That's
not just a nice "idea," it is a powerful belief that has practical
consequences in the way we treat one another in daily life” (Archbishop John
C. Nienstedt, Life: What we believe influences how we act).
Homily Suggestions
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
1 Pt 2:20b-25
Jn 10:1-10
Jesus is revealed as the Good Shepherd, who fulfills
Psalm 23 in all its promises, precisely through the Paschal Mystery. The
Shepherd leads the sheep to life, and this is how Christ defines his ministry.
“I came so that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.”
In order to have it more abundantly, that is, unto
the resurrection of the dead and having a seat on God’s throne, we must first
“have it.” Natural life is the necessary precondition for supernatural life, and
therefore the defense of natural life is necessarily an aspect of the
proclamation of the gift of supernatural life and the mission of the Church to
lead people to it.
In a culture of death, the preaching of Peter about
repentance, found in today’s first reading, has a particular significance in
rejecting abortion and euthanasia, individually and collectively, as well as the
mindset behind them. These evils are not simply the destruction of life but the
direct, legally-enshrined denial of its inherent worth.
The promotion and nurturing of vocations in our day
finds a fruitful source in the movement to defend the right to life, and should
be explicitly linked to the need for those who proclaim that message.
The beginning of the encyclical “The Gospel of Life”
refers to today’s gospel passage and provides the following perspective, which
can inform our preaching today:
“When he
presents the heart of his redemptive mission, Jesus says: "I came that they may
have life, and have it abundantly" (Jn 10:10). In truth, he is referring
to that "new" and "eternal" life which consists in communion with the Father, to
which every person is freely called in the Son by the power of the Sanctifying
Spirit. …
“Man is
called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly
existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God. The loftiness of
this supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and the inestimable
value of human life even in its temporal phase. Life in time, in fact, is
the fundamental condition, the initial stage and an integral part of the entire
unified process of human existence. It is a process which, unexpectedly and
undeservedly, is enlightened by the promise and renewed by the gift of divine
life, which will reach its full realization in eternity (cf. 1 Jn 3:1-2).
At the same time, it is precisely this supernatural calling which highlights the
relative character of each individual's earthly life. After all, life on
earth is not an "ultimate" but a "penultimate" reality; even so, it remains a
sacred reality entrusted to us, to be preserved with a sense of
responsibility and brought to perfection in love and in the gift of ourselves to
God and to our brothers and sisters.
“The Church
knows that this Gospel of life, which she has received from her Lord, has
a profound and persuasive echo in the heart of every person—believer and
non-believer alike—because it marvellously fulfils all the heart's expectations
while infinitely surpassing them. Even in the midst of difficulties and
uncertainties, every person sincerely open to truth and goodness can, by the
light of reason and the hidden action of grace, come to recognize in the natural
law written in the heart (cf. Rom 2:14-15) the sacred value of human life
from its very beginning until its end, and can affirm the right of every human
being to have this primary good respected to the highest degree. Upon the
recognition of this right, every human community and the political community
itself are founded.
“In a
special way, believers in Christ must defend and promote this right, aware as
they are of the wonderful truth recalled by the Second Vatican Council: "By his
incarnation the Son of God has united himself in some fashion with every human
being". This saving event reveals to humanity not only the boundless love of God
who "so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (Jn 3:16), but also
the incomparable value of every human person.
“The
Church, faithfully contemplating the mystery of the Redemption, acknowledges
this value with ever new wonder. She feels called to proclaim to the people of
all times this "Gospel", the source of invincible hope and true joy for every
period of history. The Gospel of God's love for man, the Gospel of the
dignity of the person and the Gospel of life are a single and indivisible
Gospel.
“For this
reason, man—living man—represents the primary and fundamental way for the
Church” (EV 1-2).
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