FROM OBLIGATION TO LOVING COMMITMENT
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: On Good Shepherd Sunday, the liturgy emphasizes that love does not count the cost. It challenges us to make the shift from being functionaries who do their job out of obligation to being shepherds who are committed and dedicated no matter the cost. We pray that we may imitate Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who cared for his people to the extent of laying down his life for them.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have been unwilling to change our ways and our life, we ask the Lord for his forgiveness.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd, you laid down your life for your sheep:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd, you know your people, and they know you:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd, you want to bring all your people to belong in your flock:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: God of lasting love,
fulfil your plan of salvation
to gather into one-fold
the peoples of the whole world.
Let everyone on earth
recognise Christ as the Good Shepherd,
who freely lays down his life for all,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Acts 4:8-12
Psalm Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29
Response The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or: Alleluia.
Reading 2 1 John 3:1-2
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
Gospel John 10:11-18
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine hearing Jesus talk about being the good shepherd. What are your thoughts and feelings when you hear him say: “I know mine and mine know me”; “I will lay down my life for the sheep”?
Sunday Snippets
A missionary society wrote to David Livingstone and asked: “Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to know how to send some men to join you.” Livingstone replied: “If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.”
There is a big difference between those who seek the easy path and those who act out of love and commitment. That is the point Jesus makes in the gospel. He contrasts the attitudes of a good shepherd and a false one:
A real shepherd is born to his task; it is a vocation. He loves his sheep and they love him; he knows them and calls them by name; he thinks of them before he thinks of himself; he does not abandon them even, and perhaps especially, in the face of danger.
For hired hands, to whom Jesus likens the Pharisees, it is a “job”; they are in it solely for the pay; they care nothing for the sheep and so they run away in the face of danger.
The bottom-line: One who works out of loving commitment thinks of the people one is serving. One who works out of a sense of obligation thinks chiefly about oneself and recompense.
Jesus was the good shepherd – when he had compassion on the crowds and satiated their hunger; when he reached out to the sick and the sinner, to the Samaritan woman, to the Canaanite woman, to the woman caught in adultery, to Zacchaeus, to Martha and Mary. As he moves towards the cross, Jesus holds up this model of the good shepherd.
Jesus, the good shepherd, invites us to be good shepherds. He challenges us to move from obligation to loving commitment, to be a faithful presence to people in need.
Who, in my life, needs “good shepherding”? How will I “be with” those in need?
May we be shepherds to one another, especially to those in need. May we move from obligation to loving commitment.
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: What gave Peter the courage to speak out like this, when before Jesus died he couldn’t even admit that he knew him? Do I have the courage to witness to my faith?
Reading 2: “We are God’s children now.” What implications does this truth have for me? How do I live as child of God?
Gospel: Jesus said: “I know mine and mine know me… and I will lay down my life for the sheep.” Am I able to “lay down my life” for my own? What enables me to do so; what prevents me from doing so?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: With trust in God our Shepherd, who cares for us and our world, we bring our needs to him and pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the shepherds of the Church: that they may draw inspiration from the Good Shepherd, imitate his dedication to his sheep, and serve their communities like he did, we pray…
R: For leaders of nations: that God may give them a heart like the Good Shepherd, compassion toward those who are suffering, and wisdom to develop policies that advance the common good, we pray…
R: For all who are searching for meaning: that they may allow the Good Shepherd to find them and lead them to a fuller life with purpose, we pray…
R: For all who are suffering from illness and disasters: that God may be a shepherd to them, guide them to the help they need, and sustain them, we pray…
R: For greater stewardship of the earth: that God may inspire us to care for his creation and ensure that it benefits all his children, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may allow the saving work of Jesus to bring us to wholeness and lives our lives in commitment to one another, we pray…
L: God, our Shepherd, we entrust our cares, our world and ourselves to you. Guide, protect, and accompany us during trials and bring us to green pastures and restful waters. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Lord,
you say that the Good Shepherd knows his sheep
and calls them each by name;
they listen, they wait for the sound of his voice.
I am your sheep, O Lord.
I long to hear you call me.
And you do…
but sometimes I do not heed your call.
Hold me in your arms awhile.
In difficult days and nights,
let me rest in your loving care.
Then help me take your unconditional love
– the lay-down-your-life kind of love –
and wrap it around the lives of all people everywhere.
Good Shepherd, give
food for the hungry,
medical care for the sick,
solace for immigrants and suffering people,
healing for our planet,
and love that ends divisions.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our Father,
Jesus gave his life for us
that we might live and be saved.
May we reflect the love he has shown us
by caring for one another
with the same self-forgetting kindness
he has shown to us.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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