Monday of the 4th week of Easter
Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. When Peter had come up to Jerusalem, those who were of the circumcision contended with him, saying, "You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!"
But Peter began, and explained to them in order, saying, "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision: a certain container descending, like it was a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners. It came as far as me. When I had looked intently at it, I considered, and saw the four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky. I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter, kill and eat!' But I said, 'Not so, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered into my mouth.' But a voice answered me the second time out of heaven, 'What God has cleansed, don't you call unclean.' This was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. Behold, immediately three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent from Caesarea to me. The Spirit told me to go with them without discriminating. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying to him, 'Send to Joppa and get Simon, who is called Peter, who will speak to you words by which you will be saved, you and all your house.' As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning. I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.' If then God gave to them the same gift as us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?"
When they heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life!"
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually ask me, "Where is your God?"
Oh, send out your light and your truth. Let them lead me. Let them bring me to your holy hill, to your tents.
Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my exceeding joy. I will praise you on the harp, God, my God.
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn't own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. The hired hand flees because he is a hired hand and doesn't care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I'm known by my own; even as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father."
The early Church faced a crisis that seems almost unimaginable to us now: whether God's love could really extend beyond the Jewish people to include Gentiles. Peter's vision of the sheet filled with animals challenges not just dietary laws, but the deeper question of who belongs in God's family.
Notice how Peter initially resists God's invitation. "Not so, Lord" - there's something almost comical about contradicting the Almighty while calling him Lord. Yet this resistance feels familiar. How often do we find ourselves saying "not so, Lord" when God's love proves wider than our comfort zones? When we're asked to welcome someone whose politics, lifestyle, or background makes us uncomfortable?
The Good Shepherd passage deepens this theme. Christ speaks of "other sheep which are not of this fold" - sheep that must be brought into one unified flock. The movement here is always toward inclusion, toward gathering, toward making the circle wider rather than smaller.
Consider how this plays out in our daily encounters. At work, in our neighborhoods, even in our parishes, we meet people who don't fit our expectations of what a "good Catholic" or "good person" looks like. The Spirit that told Peter to go "without discriminating" continues to nudge us toward radical hospitality.
There's a profound trust required here - trust that God's vision is clearer than ours, that divine love operates beyond our categories. Peter's willingness to risk criticism from his fellow apostles models the courage needed to follow where the Spirit leads, even when it challenges our assumptions.
The psalm's cry for God's light and truth becomes our prayer: that we might see with divine eyes rather than human prejudices.
Where might God be asking us to extend welcome beyond our comfort zones? What "other sheep" are we being called to recognize as part of Christ's one flock?