Happy Monday! We are currently deep in the heart of the Easter season, Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter, to be exact. It is April 27, 2026, and if you have been following the liturgy lately, you’ll notice a beautiful, recurring theme: the image of Jesus as our Good Shepherd.
Yesterday was Good Shepherd Sunday, and today the Church continues to lean into that imagery. But today’s readings take us a step further. They aren’t just about a Shepherd who keeps His sheep safe inside a fence; they are about a Shepherd who is actively tearing those fences down.
In our walk of faith, it is very easy to build walls. We build them around our communities, our comfort zones, and even our spiritual lives. We start to think that God’s grace belongs to "us", the people who show up, the people who know the prayers, the people who look like us or talk like us. But the Word of God today is a radical wake-up call. It tells us that the Good Shepherd isn't interested in a small, exclusive club. He’s interested in the world.
No Boundaries for Grace: Peter’s Big "Aha!" Moment
Let’s look at our first reading from Acts 11:1-18. This is one of the most pivotal moments in the history of the early Church. To put it in perspective, the early followers of Jesus were primarily Jewish. They had spent their entire lives following the Mosaic Law, which included very strict rules about what you could eat and who you could associate with. To them, the idea of God’s salvation being for the Gentiles (non-Jews) was, frankly, mind-blowing, and a little bit scandalous.
In this passage, Peter is being questioned by the "circumcised believers" in Jerusalem. They are upset because he went to the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them. In their eyes, Peter had crossed a line. He had broken a boundary.
But Peter tells them a story. He tells them about a vision he had, a sheet coming down from heaven filled with all kinds of animals that were considered "unclean" by Jewish law. A voice tells him, "Slaughter and eat." Peter, being a faithful observer of the law, says, "Certainly not, sir." But the voice responds with something that changed the course of history: "What God has made clean, you are not to call profane."
This wasn’t just about lunch. It was a lesson in spiritual inclusivity. Peter realized that if God was pouring out the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles just as He had on the Apostles, then who was Peter to stand in God’s way?
This was the early Church’s big "aha!" moment. They realized that grace has no boundaries. God is constantly trying to expand our hearts to include the people we might have previously counted out. Whether it’s someone from a different culture, someone with a different political view, or someone whose lifestyle we don’t understand, God’s grace is reaching for them, too.
The Good Shepherd’s Sacrifice and the "Other Sheep"
Moving into the Gospel (John 10:11-18), we see Jesus defining what it means to be a "Good Shepherd." Most of us are familiar with the beginning of this passage: the Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep. He isn't like a hired hand who runs away when the wolf comes. He stays. He protects. He loves to the point of total sacrifice.
But there is a specific line in today’s Gospel that hits home given what Peter experienced in Acts:
"I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd." (John 10:16)
Think about that for a second. Jesus is explicitly saying that His mission isn't confined to the people standing right in front of Him. He is looking over the horizon. He is looking at the people who are "outside the fold." He isn’t content with just the ninety-nine; He is looking for the "others" who haven't heard His voice yet.
This is a powerful reminder for us as a Church. We are called to have the heart of the Shepherd. That means we can’t just be comfortable inside our own parish walls or our own social circles. We have to be concerned about the "other sheep." We have to be willing to follow Jesus into the places where people feel forgotten, excluded, or lost.
Thirsting for the Living God
The Psalm for today (Psalm 42/43) captures the emotional heartbeat of this entire mission: "Athirst is my soul for the living God."
We all know what it feels like to be thirsty. It’s an undeniable, physical craving. The Psalmist uses that image to describe the human soul. Every single person on this planet, regardless of where they were born, what language they speak, or what their background is, has that same spiritual thirst. We were created by God, for God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.
When we realize that everyone is thirsting for the same Living Water, those boundaries we build start to look pretty silly. We aren't "insiders" looking out at "outsiders." We are all thirsty people who have been led to the well, and our job is to show others where the water is.
Breaking Boundaries with the Society of St. Peter the Apostle (SPA)
This "breaking of boundaries" is exactly what we do at the Society of St. Peter the Apostle (SPA), one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies.
Our mission is rooted in the belief that the Gospel should never feel like a "foreign" import. Every community deserves its own local "shepherds", priests and religious brothers and sisters who come from the same culture, speak the same language, and understand the unique struggles of the people they serve.
Think about the "other sheep" Jesus mentioned. How do they best hear His voice? Usually, it's through the voice of someone who understands them. By supporting the formation of indigenous clergy in mission territories, you are literally helping Jesus reach those "other sheep."
In many parts of the world, in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands, the Church is growing at an incredible rate. There are thousands of young men and women who feel the call to serve as priests and religious. They have the passion, they have the faith, and they have the desire to be shepherds for their own people. But often, their communities lack the financial resources to provide the years of education and formation required.
That’s where SPA steps in. Through your prayers and donations, we help fund seminaries and novitiates in these mission lands. We help ensure that no vocation is lost because of poverty.
When you support a seminarian in a remote village in India or a novice in a growing city in Nigeria, you are breaking down the boundaries of distance and economics. You are ensuring that the "thirst for the living God" is met with a local voice that says, "Here is the Shepherd. He knows you. He loves you. And He laid down His life for you."
Reflection: Who is in Your "Fold"?
As we reflect on these readings today, I want to challenge you (and myself!) with a simple question:
Is there someone in your life you’ve "folded out" of your circle?
Maybe it’s a family member you haven't spoken to in years. Maybe it’s a neighbor who is "different" from you. Maybe it’s a group of people you’ve generalized or dismissed because of their background.
How can you show them the heart of the Good Shepherd today? How can you break a boundary, even a small one, to let God’s grace flow through? It might be a simple phone call, a word of encouragement, or a prayer for someone you usually ignore.
Remember, Peter had to let go of a lifetime of traditions to embrace what God was doing. Sometimes, we have to let go of our own "traditions" of judgment or comfort to see the "other sheep" the way Jesus sees them.
Conclusion: A Love Bigger Than Our Boundaries
God’s love is bigger than any boundary we can build. It’s wider than any ocean and deeper than any cultural divide. From the "aha!" moment of St. Peter to the global mission of the Church today, the message is clear: The Shepherd is calling everyone.
Thank you for being part of this mission. Thank you for helping the Pontifical Mission Societies and the Society of St. Peter the Apostle share that love with the whole world. Your support is making it possible for local shepherds to rise up and lead their people to the Living Water.
Please keep our seminarians and novices in your prayers today. They are studying hard and praying fervently so they can one day be the voice of Jesus for their communities. They are the frontline of "breaking boundaries."
May the Good Shepherd bless you and keep you, and may He expand your heart to love as He loves.
Peace and all good,
The Pontifical Mission Societies
www.fraugustinedejidada.org