FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Entrance Antiphon
Cf. Ps 33 (32): 5-6
The merciful love of the Lord fills the earth; by the word of the Lord the heavens were made, alleluia.

Collect
Almighty ever-living God, lead us to a share in the joys of heaven, so that the humble flock may reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
YEAR A (Lectionary: 49)
FIRST READING
Acts 2: 14a, 36-41

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: "Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, "What are we to do, my brothers?" Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call." He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.

The Word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R/. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Or:
R/. Alleluia.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.

R/. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Or:
R/. Alleluia.

He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.

R/. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Or:
R/. Alleluia.

You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

R/. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Or:
R/. Alleluia.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.

R/. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Or:
R/. Alleluia.

SECOND READING
1 Pt 2: 20b-25

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Peter

Beloved: If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.

When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

The Word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA
Jn 10: 14

R/. Alleluia. Alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R/. Alleluia. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
Jn 10: 1-10

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint John

Jesus said: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers." Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

So Jesus said again, "Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly."

The Gospel of the Lord.

YEAR B (Lectionary: 50)
FIRST READING
Acts 4: 8-12

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said: "Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved."

The Word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 118: 1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29

R/. (22) The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
Or:
R/. Alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.

R/. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
Or:
R/. Alleluia.

I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.

R/. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
Or:
R/. Alleluia.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD;
we bless you from the house of the LORD.
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his kindness endures forever.

R/. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
Or:
R/. Alleluia.

SECOND READING
1 Jn 3: 1-2

A reading from the first Letter of Saint John

Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

The Word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA
Jn 10: 14

R/. Alleluia. Alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R/. Alleluia. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
Jn 10: 11-18

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint John

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."

The Gospel of the Lord.

YEAR C (Lectionary: 51)
FIRST READING
Acts 13: 14, 43-52

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats. Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.

On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth."

The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region. The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

The Word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps 100: 1-2, 3, 5

R/. (3c) We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Or:
R/. Alleluia.

Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.

R/. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Or:
R/. Alleluia.

Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.

R/. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Or:
R/. Alleluia.

The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.

R/. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Or:
R/. Alleluia.

SECOND READING
Rev 7: 9, 14b-17

A reading from the Book of Revelation

I, John, had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

Then one of the elders said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

"For this reason they stand before God's throne and worship him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them. They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

The Word of the Lord.

ALLELUIA
Jn 10: 14

R/. Alleluia. Alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R/. Alleluia. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
Jn 10: 27-30

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint John

Jesus said: "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one."

The Gospel of the Lord

Prayer over the Offerings
Grant, we pray, O Lord, that we may always find delight in these paschal mysteries, so that the renewal constantly at work within us may be the cause of our unending joy. Through Christ our Lord.

Communion Antiphon
The Good Shepherd has risen, who laid down his life for his sheep and willingly died for his flock, alleluia.

Prayer after Communion
Look upon your flock, kind Shepherd, and be pleased to settle in eternal pastures the sheep you have redeemed by the Precious Blood of your Son. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.