Sunday 26 April 2026 — Daily Mass Readings

 

First Reading: Acts 2:14, 36-41

On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: ‘The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.’ Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, ‘What must we do, brothers?’ ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered ‘and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.’ He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them, ‘Save yourselves from this perverse generation.’ They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 22(23)

R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit. R.

He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort. R.

You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing. R.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever. R.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:20-25

The merit, in the sight of God, is in bearing punishment patiently when you are punished after doing your duty. This, in fact, is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow the way he took. He had not done anything wrong, and there had been no perjury in his mouth. He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults; when he was tortured he made no threats but he put his trust in the righteous judge. He was bearing our faults in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our faults and live for holiness; through his wounds you have been healed. You had gone astray like sheep but now you have come back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Gospel: John 10:1-10

Jesus said: ‘I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.’ Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them. So Jesus spoke to them again: ‘I tell you most solemnly, I am the gate of the sheepfold. All others who have come are thieves and brigands; but the sheep took no notice of them. I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.’

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Deep Reflection

Today, the Church celebrates Good Shepherd Sunday, a title of Christ that bridges the gap between His sovereign authority and His tender, personal care. In the First Reading, St. Peter’s proclamation of Jesus as "both Lord and Christ" causes a visceral reaction: the people are "cut to the heart." This is the foundational movement of the Christian life. It is the realization that our sins—our "straying"—necessitated the sacrifice of the Shepherd. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, the Church is the "sheepfold whose one and indispensable door is Christ" (CCC 764).

The Gospel offers a dual metaphor: Jesus is the Shepherd who calls us by name, and He is the Gate. To enter through the Gate is to accept the "narrow way" of the Gospel, which leads to true freedom and pasture. In a world of "thieves and brigands"—ideologies that promise fulfilment but lead to spiritual death—the voice of Christ remains the only one that leads to life "to the full." This abundance is not measured by material wealth, but by the peace of being "healed by His wounds" (1 Peter 2:24). We follow Him not because we are forced, but because we recognise the voice of the one who died to save us.

One line to carry: Jesus is the Gate and the Shepherd; by His wounds we are healed and through His voice we find our way home.