April 28, 2026
My Sheep Hear My Voice
Acts 11:19-26 | John
10:22-30
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| Photo created by Google AI Image Creator. |
Today's
Readings
Acts
11:19-26 Those
scattered by the persecution went to Antioch and began speaking to Greeks about
the Lord Jesus. A great number believed and turned to the Lord. The Church in
Jerusalem sent Barnabas, who rejoiced at the grace of God and encouraged them
to remain faithful. He brought Saul from Tarsus. For a whole year, they
instructed the Church. In Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians.
John
10:22-30 The Jews
challenged Jesus to say plainly whether He was the Christ. He said: My sheep
hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and
they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. The Father and I
are one.
Today's
Thread: They were first called Christians.
Something happened
in Antioch that had not happened anywhere else; they were called Christians. It
was a new word for a new reality. This community of former Jews and Gentiles,
led by Barnabas and Saul, was so visibly, recognizably oriented around Christ
that observers invented a word for it.
Jesus says His sheep hear His voice and follow. The
Antioch community heard. They followed. And the world noticed. The name they
were given was not a label; it was an observation.
Living
It Today:
Saint Louis de
Montfort, remembered today, gave his life entirely to Our Lady and through her
to Christ. He wrote: 'I go to Jesus through Mary.' His devotion was not
sentimental; it was strategic. He believed Mary was the fastest road to her
Son, because she never leads anywhere else.
Would someone look at your life and say you are a Christian to describe you? Not because you say the right things or attend the
right events, but because your relationship with Jesus is unmistakable, just like the
way the Antioch community's was.
Something
to sit with today:
Barnabas saw the
grace of God in Antioch and rejoiced. He did not assess, critique, or manage it;
he simply rejoiced. When was the last time you rejoiced at someone else's
encounter with God’s grace, without any qualification?
Jesus says no one can take His sheep out of His hand.
That is your security always. It’s not your own grip on Him, rather it is His
grip on you. Now that is real security. Let that thought replace any anxiety you are having, wondering whether you are truly His or not: You are !!!
Rosary Man Jim 🌹
