Joseph Osho

  Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year A)   Acts 2.14, 36-41;   Ps 22;   I Pet 2.20-25;   Jn 10.1-10 Whose voice do you listen to?    The image of a shepherd with his flock is one which our Lord uses several times in parables, calling himself the Good Shepherd. And in today’s gospel, He calls himself the gate of the sheepfold, guarding and protecting His flock. This image is very appropriate for today’s mass, for today is kept around the world as Vocations Sunday, a day when we particularly think about the call of God to become priests or to enter religious life. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus is the gate. Only diligent people will use the gate – they would have no need to jump the gate or make a hole through the fence. He is the keeper of the gate – the gate opens, he calls them by name and leads them as a group through the gate. The beauty of this is that the sheep can recognize their shepherd’s voice. They don’t recognize anyone else’s voice. J...

Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church-  “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the whole world on fire”-Saimt Catherine of Siena.  Acts 9:31-42 John 6:60-69 The conversion of Saul (Paul) brought great relief to the early Christians. There are now at liberty to preach. They began to expand further and further far beyond Jerusalem.  Not far from Jerusalem is a town called Lydda. By this time, the church had already been established in Joppa. An outstanding disciple of this Christian community was a woman named Tabitha. (Dorcas in Greek). She was known for her devotion to Jesus and dedication to charitable works. She became ill and died. The Church honored her with a wake keep and laid her in the upper room.  When the church members in Joppa heard that Peter was nearby, in Lydda, two men were sent there to urge him to come back with them to Joppa. Getting to the Upper room where she was laid, Peter knelt to pray and then he turned t...

  GO OUT TO ALL THE WORLD AND TELL THE GOOD NEWS   Acts 9:1-20 John 6:52-59 Saul was a student of Gamaliel but unlike his teacher, who seems to be patient with the new enterprise arising from conversion into following Jesus, Saul was quick to strike. He was a terror among new converts to Christianity. He was present at Stephen’s death and those that stoned Stephen kept their robes at his feet. He opposed the Gospel and led the persecution of Christians.  He wanted more, so he sets for Damascus to get a writ of approval. As he was approaching Damascus,, suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him. And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,  "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"  And he said, "Who are you, Lord?"  And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;  but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."  (Acts 9:3-6). This was the start of his conversion.Paul’s encounter with the person of Christ ...

  CALLED TO BE FED , CALLED TO SERVE Acts 8:26-40 John 6:44-51 Through our baptism and confirmation, we are called to evangelize and become Eucharistic person. ; to go out into the whole world and proclaim the good news. Philip was chosen as one of the seven first    deacons together with Stephen ( Acts 6: 5 ). After the martyrdom of St. Stephen,the Spirit led him.  Philip is considered to be one of the foremost missionaries of early christian community. He is an example of a true missionary whose actions are directed by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit blows wherever it wills are you ready to be led by the Spirit in your hearts and minds and in all the corners and areas of your lives?  The gospel of John continues the Bread of Life Discourse of Jesus with the crowds. In his teaching, Jesus says ;”I am the living bread which has come down from heaven’. He is the food that does not perish and He is the food that gives eternal life. The Lord has kept his promise that h...

  ADVANCING IN THE MIDST PERSECUTION   Acts 8:1-8 John 6:35-40 The death of Stephen opened the floodgates of persecution. It is a day that would go down in history as infamy in one hand, but a day that would signify the beginning of the spread of the good news to the Gentiles. From a human perspective, one might look at the death of Stephen, a truly mighty man of God, as "premature" and as a horrible tragedy. But his death was not premature, for he fully accomplished the work the Father had planned for him to accomplish (John 4:34 and John 17:4)God's perspective of the value of one life is not the same as our perspective, for we seen only in time, while God sees in eternity.  The disciples were scattered as a result of the persecution. But all the leaders did by scattering the disciples was to plant them in the places to which they had been scattered, for there they “preached the word” (Acts 8:4) Is that true of you? Wherever you find yourself—whether scattered by work or...

  “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. 1 Peter 5:5-14 Mark 16:15-20 Today is the feast of St. Mark.  John Mark was an outstanding companion    of Saints Peter and Paul. He worked under the influence of the Holy Spirit and there are several lessons we can gain from the life of this great evangelist.  Writing:  St. Mark spread the gospel far beyond his homeland and people by obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit and writing it down for countless others to read Prayer: He believed in the power of communal prayer as seen in the deliverance ofPeter from prison. Acts 12:12.  Service: He believed in the service of the poor and needy and brought about unity and stability between the Jewish Christians and the  Gentle Christians. Acts 12: 25.  Mission: John Mark was a missionary and he learned that we don’t always get a second chance when Paul refused to take him on a second missionary journey (Acts 15:38). He learned...