Tuesday 1st May, 2012
St Joseph the Worker. Acts 11:19-26. All you nations, praise the Lord—Ps 86(87):1-7. John 10:22-30.

  
Meditation: mp3 | podcast
Readings: Text | mp3 | podcast

Today’s gospel reading continues the theme of Jesus as Shepherd, which we know is a striking feature of John’s writing.

As sheep follow the shepherd because they know his voice, Christians follows Jesus because they recognise Jesus as the Son of God. The image of the shepherd and his flock can help us appreciate more deeply how God cares for us. Much of the time we can be like lost, tired and hungry sheep, but God the Father brings us together under the leadership of his Son and the guidance of his Spirit.

We come together like the people in the reading from Acts to praise and thank God. In that being together we find strength and comfort—like the sheep, like those first Christians. Today, as we honour St Joseph, let us ponder what coming together as Christians means to us.