Sunday April 30, 2023

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“Jesus is our Good Shepherd safely guiding us into a life of abundant victory!”

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Good News Reflection for:

Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 30, 2023

Today’s Prayer:

My Lord, do not let me wander away from the path You have shown, and if I have not yet found it, take me to it by Your Divine Mercy. Amen.

Subscribe to Today’s Saint Quote & Prayer:
gnm.org/SaintQuotes/

Today’s Readings:

Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Ps 23: 1-6
1 Peter 2:20b-25
John 10:1-10
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/043023.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-april-30-2023

Do you need a breakthrough?

Are you at an impasse in your spiritual growth or emotional healing or a difficult relationship? Do you need a breakthrough? Do you feel stuck behind a fence that’s keeping you on the outside of peace, joy, satisfaction, or healing?

This Sunday’s Gospel reading tells us that Jesus is the gate in that fence. He helps us reach the heavenly side of the gate, outside the realm of earthly restrictions — not only when we die and enter eternal life, but also here and now in our earthly life, so that we might always “have life and have it more abundantly.”

When our path seems blocked, we can only make progress by letting Jesus shepherd us around and through and over the obstacles. If people shut a door on something that God wants us to do, Jesus is still our open gate and no one can close him out of our lives. He will lead us into a new opportunity for accomplishing the plans of God. If he’s given us a frustrated holy desire or a passion for which there seems to be no outlet, instead of complaining or quitting, we must look at Jesus and see him as a gate that opens into a new direction or location.

Remember, however, that until we get all the way through this gate, we must stick close to him like dumb sheep. There’s a journey to take before we can reach the other side of the fence.

The thief that comes to steal and slaughter can only reach us when we stray away from Jesus and we take our eyes off of him.

Despair and worry are two common thieves, robbing us of peace, joy, satisfaction, and healing. But they’re not as powerful as they pretend to be. We defeat them easily by remembering that they do not speak the full truth. The truth is: Jesus is our Good Shepherd safely guiding us into a life of abundant victory!

Questions for Personal Reflection:
What breakthrough are you hoping for? What’s frustrating you and seems hopeless? What’s causing you to think that a problem you’re facing might lead to disaster and destruction? What will you do this week to follow Jesus more closely so that you can get through this with more peace?

Questions for Group Faith Sharing:
Share the story of a time when you experienced obstacles and Jesus provided a breakthrough that led to victory.

For more on this, see our Faith Booster: “Frustrated?” @ https://wordbytes.org/faith-booster-minis/frustrated/

© 2023 by Terry A. Modica

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