Saturday of the 5th Week of Lent
First Reading
Ezekiel 37:21–28
The Lord says this:
“I am going to take the sons of Israel from the nations where they have gone. I shall gather them together from everywhere and bring them home to their own soil. I shall make them into one nation in my own land and on the mountains of Israel, and one king is to be king of them all; they will no longer form two nations, nor be two separate kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and their filthy practices and all their sins. I shall rescue them from all the betrayals they have been guilty of; I shall cleanse them; they shall be my people and I will be their God.
My servant David will reign over them, one shepherd for all; they will follow my observances, respect my laws and practise them. They will live in the land that I gave my servant Jacob, the land in which your ancestors lived. They will live in it, they, their children, their children’s children, for ever. David my servant is to be their prince for ever.
I shall make a covenant of peace with them, an eternal covenant with them. I shall resettle them and increase them; I shall settle my sanctuary among them for ever. I shall make my home above them; I will be their God, they shall be my people. And the nations will learn that I am the Lord, the sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary is with them for ever.”
Responsorial Psalm
Jeremiah 31:10–13
The Lord will guard us, like a shepherd guarding his flock.
O nations, hear the word of the Lord,
proclaim it to the far-off coasts.
Say: “He who scattered Israel will gather him
and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock.”
The Lord will guard us, like a shepherd guarding his flock.
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
has saved him from an overpowering hand.
They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion,
they will stream to the blessings of the Lord.
The Lord will guard us, like a shepherd guarding his flock.
Then the young girls will rejoice and dance,
the men, young and old, will be glad.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console them, give gladness for grief.
The Lord will guard us, like a shepherd guarding his flock.
Psalm Summary:
God gathers what has been scattered, guards his people like a shepherd, and transforms mourning into joy.
Gospel Acclamation
Ezekiel 18:31
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless glory!
Rid yourselves of all your sins
and make a new heart and a new spirit.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless glory!
Gospel
John 11:45–56
Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what Jesus did believed in him, but some of them went to tell the Pharisees what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and Pharisees called a meeting.
“Here is this man working all these signs,” they said “and what action are we taking? If we let him go on in this way everybody will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy the Holy Place and our nation.”
One of them, Caiaphas, the high priest that year, said, “You do not seem to have grasped the situation at all; you fail to see that it is better for one man to die for the people, than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”
He did not speak in his own person, it was as high priest that he made this prophecy that Jesus was to die for the nation – and not for the nation only, but to gather together in unity the scattered children of God.
From that day they were determined to kill him. So Jesus no longer went about openly among the Jews, but left the district for a town called Ephraim, in the country bordering on the desert, and stayed there with his disciples.
The Jewish Passover drew near, and many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem to purify themselves looked out for Jesus, saying to one another as they stood about in the Temple, “What do you think? Will he come to the festival or not?”
Reflection
Today’s readings carry a strong theme: gathering.
Through Ezekiel, God promises to gather his scattered people and make them one nation again. Division, exile, and idolatry will not have the final word. God speaks of cleansing, covenant, and a single shepherd. The Catechism teaches that God’s plan throughout history is to gather humanity into unity under Christ (CCC 759–760). What was scattered by sin is drawn back together by grace.
The Gospel reveals how that unity will come — through sacrifice.
Caiaphas, intending political calculation, unknowingly speaks prophecy. “It is better for one man to die for the people.” The evangelist makes clear that this was not merely strategy; it was part of God’s saving design. Jesus would die “to gather together in unity the scattered children of God.”
This is the heart of Holy Week approaching.
The leaders fear losing power. They fear the Romans. They fear instability. Yet beneath their fear, God’s greater plan unfolds. The Catechism affirms that Christ’s death was not an accident of history but the fulfilment of the Father’s saving will (CCC 599–600).
Ezekiel’s promise of “one shepherd” finds its fulfilment in Jesus (CCC 754). He gathers not by force, but by laying down his life. The covenant of peace foretold by the prophet is sealed in the Cross.
There is also something personal here.
We all experience scattering — divided loyalties, fragmented priorities, internal conflict. God’s desire is not merely external unity but an integrated heart. The Gospel acclamation calls us to “make a new heart and a new spirit.” Lent prepares us for that renewal.
As Passover draws near in the Gospel, the tension rises. The question echoes: “Will he come or not?” The answer is yes. He will come — not to seize power, but to offer himself.
The shepherd gathers by giving.
One line to carry today:
Christ gathers what is scattered — beginning with the heart.
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