Fourth Sunday of
Easter
April 26, 2026 Cycle A
White priestly vestments symbolize purity and
integrity of the life of
faith.
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Liturgical Year 2025-2026
Introductory Acts of Worship
The Entrance Prayers: On Sunday, usually a hymn praising God is sung in place
of reciting a
Psalm from the Bible which invites us to enter more deeply
into the mystery of
God's love for us. The recited weekday Psalm expresses
a youthful heart
and spirit, delighted that we may come before the living
God.
Entrance Song / Entrance Psalm (Antiphon)
Entrance Song
Psalm 33:5-6 The merciful love of the Lord fills the earth; by the word
of the Lord the
heavens were made, alleluia.
The Priest Approaches and Kisses the Altar: The
altar is a symbol
of Christ. In it are cut five crosses to recall the
five wounds of
Christ. The altar also represents the Church and has
embedded in it the
relics of her saints. The priest comes to the altar to
celebrate the
Sacrifice in the Church's name. Because of the glory
surrounding the
altar upon which the divine Sacrifice will be made, the kiss
of the priest
unites the Church to Christ, its Redeemer.
Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.
All:
Amen.
The Greeting: We are welcomed in God's name. Our response
unites us to our
neighbor, to the priest and to God. (The priest may
select from several
forms of greeting).
Priest: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
All:
And with
your spirit.
The Penitential Prayers: We
recognize our
guilt for past sins, express our sorrow for them, and ask
that Mary, the
angels, the saints, and our brothers and sisters in Christ
pray for the Lord
God's mercy. (The priest may select from several
forms).
Priest: Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge
our sins, and
so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
Priest: Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All: For we have sinned against you.
Priest: Show us, O Lord, your mercy.
All: And grant us your salvation.
The Absolution:
Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
All:
Amen.
The Gloria: The Glory of God prayers have existed from the second
century. They
repeat the angels praise of God which heralded the birth of
Christ on
earth. Our praise is lifted again through the years as
we rejoice at His
coming as Lord God, the most high Jesus Christ, who at
Christmas took on our
human nature while at the same time being the son of Man.
This ancient hymn
expresses our recognition of God's glory and love. It
calls upon Christ
as our holy and divine mediator, and the Holy Spirit who
forever binds us
together in God's love.
Priest and All: Glory to God in the
highest, and on
earth peace to people of good will. We praise you; we
bless you, we adore
you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great
glory. Lord God,
heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ,
Only Begotten
Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the
sins of the
world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world,
receive your
prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have
mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you
alone are the most high
Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the
Father. Amen.
The Collect:
The
priest lifts the
united prayers and petitions of the congregation to God the
Father through the
merits of Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.
Priest: Almighty ever-living God, lead us to a
share in the joys
of heaven, so that the humble flock may reach where the brave
Shepherd has gone
before. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Liturgy of the Word
Christ
is made known
to us through the Old Testament which prepares us to
recognize Him. In
those days, God inspired men who spoke His message.
Now, the New
Testament Gospel reading announces His presence to us
directly through His
Son. Both readings bring God's message to us.
Our responsibility is
to respond.
The First Reading: From the Old Testament
Priest/Reader: A reading from the book,
Acts of the
Apostles.
First Reading: Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and
proclaimed:
“Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has
made both Lord and
Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and
they asked Peter
and the other apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?”
Peter said to
them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of
Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is
made to you and to
your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our
God will
call.” He testified with many other arguments, and
was exhorting
them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
Those who accepted
his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were
added that
day.
Priest/Reader: The word of the Lord.
All: Thanks
be to God.
The Responsorial Psalm: This Psalm praising God is a prayer to God or
recommends the practice of
virtue. It is sung as an interlude between the
scriptural readings.
It provides yet another instructional setting and invites
the assembly to
imitate the cantor who sings a repeated response to the
verses of an ancient
Psalm, many of which are attributed to King David. The
verses are sung
first by a cantor (song leader) accompanied by instruments,
the refrain is sung
by the people.
Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Cantor: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
All: The Lord is my shepherd; there is
nothing I shall want.
Cantor: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not
want. In
verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he
leads me; he
refreshes my soul.
All: The Lord is my shepherd; there is
nothing I shall want.
Cantor: He guides me on right paths for his
name’s
sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no
evil; for you are
at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.
All: The Lord is my shepherd; there is
nothing I shall want.
Cantor: You spread the table before me in the
sight of my
foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
All: The Lord is my shepherd; there is
nothing I shall
want.
Cantor: Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of
my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to
come.
All: The Lord is my shepherd; there is
nothing I shall
want.
The Second Reading: Taken from the New Testament, often from a letter
written by St. Paul.
Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:20b-25
Beloved: If you
are patient
when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before
God. For
to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for
you, leaving you
an example that you should follow in his footsteps. He
committed no
sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.
When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he
suffered, he did not
threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges
justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that,
free from sin, we
might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been
healed.
For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to
the shepherd
and guardian of your souls.
The Alleluia: An ancient expression of joy anticipating the Lord's
message we will hear
in the Gospel.
John 10:14
Cantor: Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
All: Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Cantor: I am the good shepherd, says
the Lord; I know
my sheep, and mine know me.
All: Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia!
The Gospel: The
Liturgy of the
Word is completed by the reading of the Gospel. Before
its reading, the
members of the assembly trace the sign of the cross upon the
forehead to
indicate their mental acceptance of the Truth, on the lips
to indicate their
readiness to announce it, and over the heart to indicate
their sincere desire
to accept it into their lives. The "Good News" of the
Gospel
tells that God's kingdom has come for all to hear, accept,
and announce to the
world for its salvation. It is God who is speaking to
us. Christ
comes to teach us by the example of His life and by His own
words.
Priest: Cleanse my heart and my
lips, almighty
God, that I may worthily proclaim your holy Gospel. Through
the
words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
Priest/Deacon: A reading from the holy Gospel according
to John.
All: Glory to
you, Lord.
The Gospel: John 10:1-10
John wrote to show that Christ was
the Messiah, the Divine Son of God.
Jesus said: “Amen, amen,
I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs
over elsewhere
is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the
gate is the
shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him,
and the sheep
hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and
leads them
out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of
them, and the
sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But
they will not
follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do
not recognize
the voice of strangers.” Although Jesus used this figure
of speech, the
Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So, Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the
gate for the
sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did
not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters
through me will
be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A
thief comes only
to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might
have life and
have it more abundantly.”
Priest/Deacon: The Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise
to you, Lord
Jesus Christ.
The Priest's Sermon: The
priest develops,
explains, and comments upon the Master's words, so our minds
may be
enlightened, and our hearts enriched.
(A
priestly
reflection upon this Gospel)
Profession of Faith: We state
in the
Nicene Creed the principles of our faith in precise and
definite terms.
All: We believe in one God,
the Father, the
Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and
unseen. We
believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of
the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true
God, begotten,
not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all
things were
made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from
heaven: by the
power of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the Virgin Mary and
became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered,
died, and was
buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of
the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the
Father. He
will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and
his kingdom will
have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the
giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father
and the Son he
is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the
Prophets. We
believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We
acknowledge one
baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the
resurrection of the
dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
General Intercessions: We pray
for the needs
of the pope, civic leaders, our own needs, those of others,
the sick, the
dying, those who have died, the church, and the world.
The response of
all to each intercession: Lord, hear our prayer.
All: Lord,
hear our
prayer.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
Gifts of
bread and
wine symbolizing ourselves are presented to the priest who
will offer them to
God the Father. Through the Holy Spirit, they will
become the Body and
Blood of Jesus Christ whom we receive in Holy
Communion. Jesus unites
Himself with us for our spiritual nourishment and
strength. Today, when
individuals do not present their own personal offerings of
bread and wine, the
monetary contribution symbolizes the material of their
united sacrifice.
The priest makes and offering of the bread and wine to God.
Preparation of the Bread and Wine:
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord
God of all
creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread
we offer you:
fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for
us the bread of
life.
All:
Blessed
be God for
ever.
Priest: By the
mystery of
this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of
Christ, who humbled
himself to share in our humanity.
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all
creation, for through
your goodness we have received the wine we offer you; fruit of
the vine and
work of human hands it will become our spiritual drink.
All: Blessed
be God for
ever.
Priest: With
humble spirit
and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord, and may
our sacrifice in
your sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God.
The Priest's Hands are Washed: This act
was
traditionally necessary because the priest handled the
various gifts presented
by the people. Now, the cleansing act using water
reminds the priest and
ourselves of the need to cleanse not only the hands but the
soul. Soon,
the priest's hands will hold the actual body of Christ, and
we will become His
dwelling place.
Priest: Wash me O Lord, from my
iniquity and
cleanse me from my sin.
Pray, brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be
acceptable to God,
the almighty Father.
All: May the
Lord accept
the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his
name, for our good
and the good of all his holy Church.
Prayer over the Gifts: Speaking
in our name,
the priest asks the Father to accept the gifts we offer
through him.
Priest: Grant, we pray, O Lord, that we may
always find delight
in these paschal mysteries, so that the renewal constantly at
work within us
may be the cause of our unending joy. Through Christ our
Lord.
Eucharistic Prayer: (Number Four: The priest may select from several
forms).
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your
spirit.
Priest: Lift up
your hearts.
All: We lift
them up to
the Lord.
Priest: Let us
give thanks to
the Lord, our God.
All: It is right and
just.
Preface Prayer:
Priest: It is truly right and just, our duty and our
salvation;, at
all times to acclaim you, O Lord, but in this time to laud you
yet more
gloriously, when Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.
For, with the
old order destroyed, a universe cast down is renewed, and
integrity of life is
restored to us in Christ. Therefore, overcome with
paschal joy,
every land, every people exult in your praise and even the
heavenly Powers,
with the angelic hosts, sing together the unending hymn of your
glory, as they
acclaim:
Acclamation:
Priest / All: Holy,
Holy, Holy
Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your
glory.
Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in
the name of the
Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Priest: We give
you praise,
Father most holy, for you are great and you have fashioned all
your works in
wisdom and in love. You formed man in your own image and
entrusted the
whole world to his care, so that in serving you alone, the
Creator, he might
have dominion over all creatures. And when through disobedience
he had lost
your friendship, you did not abandon him to the domain of
death. For you
came in mercy to the aid of all, so that those who seek might
find you.
Time and again you offered them covenants and through the
prophets taught them
to look forward to salvation.
And you so loved the world, Father most holy, that in the
fullness of time
you sent your Only Begotten son to be our Savior. Made
incarnate by the
Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, he shared our human
nature in all
things but sin. To the poor he proclaimed the good news of
salvation, to
prisoners, freedom, and to the sorrowful of heart, joy. To
accomplish
your plan, he gave himself up to death, and, rising from the
dead, he destroyed
death and restored life.
And that we might live no longer for ourselves but for him
who died and
rose again for us, he sent the Holy Spirit from you, Father, as
the first
fruits for those who believe, so that, bringing to perfection
his work in the
world, he might sanctify creation to the full.
Therefore, O Lord we pray: may this same Holy Spirit
graciously sanctify
these offerings, that they may become the Body and Blood of our
Lord Jesus
Christ for the celebration of this great mystery, which he
himself left us as
an eternal covenant.
The priest repeats the words which Christ used at his
Last Supper when He
changed the bread into His Body and the wine into His
Blood. His Body and
Blood are truly present but under the appearance of bread
and wine. The
death of Christ is prolonged in each of those who receive
Him worthily.
We apply His death to ourselves so that we may share His
glory. This
moment is the most solemn on earth because it is Divine act
which enables us to
apply to ourselves the Cross which Christ willingly took
upon Himself.
We are called to die to sin and lift our very selves to
God so that we
become changed; to do as God would have us do, to become
what God would have us
become. Our own little cross can lift us into union
with Christ's Cross
so we may earn the joys of everlasting happiness with God
the Father.
The Lord's Supper:
For when
the hour had
come for him to be glorified by you, Father most holy, having
loved his own who
were in the world, he loved them to the end: and while they were
at supper, he
took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to his disciples,
saying:
Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my
Body, which will be
given up for you.
In a similar way taking the chalice filled with the fruit
of the vine, he
gave thanks, and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:
Take this, all of
you, and drink from
it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the
new and eternal
covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for
the forgiveness of
sins. Do this in memory of me.
Memorial Acclamation: (The priest may
select from several
forms).
Priest: The
mystery of faith.
Priest / All: When we eat this Bread and drink this
Cup, we proclaim
your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
Therefore, O Lord, as we now celebrate the memorial of our
redemption, we
remember Christ's Death and his descent to the realm of the
dead, we proclaim
his Resurrection and his Ascension to your right hand, and, as
we await his
coming in glory, we offer you his body and Blood, the sacrifice
acceptable to
you which brings salvation to the whole world.
Look, O Lord, upon the Sacrifice which you yourself have
provided for your
Church, and grant in your loving kindness to all who partake of
this one Bread
and one chalice that, gathered into one body by the Holy Spirit,
they may truly
become a living sacrifice in Christ to the praise of your glory.
Therefore, Lord, remember now all for whom we offer this
sacrifice:
especially your servant ____ our Pope, ____ our Bishop, and the
whole Order of
Bishops, all the clergy, those who take part in this offering,
those gathered
here before you, your entire people, and all who seek you with a
sincere
heart. Remember also those who have died in the peace of
your Christ and
all the dead, whose faith you alone have known.
To all of us, your children, grant, O merciful Father, that
we may enter
into a heavenly inheritance with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother
of God, with
Blessed Joseph her spouse, and with your Apostles and Saints in
your
kingdom.
There, with the whole of creation, freed from the
corruption of sin and
death, may we glorify you through Christ our Lord, through whom
you bestow on
the world all that is good.
Doxology:
Prayer of Praise: Through
him, with
him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, all
glory and honor is yours, forever and ever.
All: Amen.
Communion Rite
In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we symbolically offer
ourselves to the
Lord through the gifts of bread and wine. At the
Consecration, we offer
our very lives to be united the God the Father through the
Cross of
Christ. In Communion, we find that we have not died at
all but have come
to life. We have surrendered ourselves to God through
His Divine Son,
Jesus Christ. In return, become ennobled and
enriched.
We give up time and we get eternity, we give up our sin and
we receive grace,
we surrender our self-will and receive the strength of the
Divine Will, we give
up ourselves and we receive everything. For the Son of
God says to us
that unless we receive Him, we shall not have Divine life in
us. But it
is not really we who receive Christ as it is Christ who
receives us, bringing
us into Himself.
God makes His Cross the very means of our salvation and
our life.
While we have crucified Him, His eternal love cannot be
extinguished.
Christ willed to give us the very life we crucified in our
Redemption, the
Consecration of Holy Thursday into Communion, His death into
our everlasting
life.
The Lord's Prayer:
Priest: Let us
ask our father
to forgive our sins and to bring us to forgive those who sin
against us.
Priest and All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed
be they name;
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us
this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those who
trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil.
Priest: Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every
evil, graciously
grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may
be always free
from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed
hope and the
coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
All: For the kingdom, the power, and the glory
are yours, now
and forever.
Prayer for Peace:
Priest: Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your
apostles: I leave
you peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the
faith of your
Church, and grant us peace and unity of your kingdom where you
live forever and
ever. Amen.
Priest: Let us offer each other the sign of
peace.
Breaking of the Bread:
Priest and All: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of
the world, have
mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have
mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant
us peace.
Priest: May this mingling of the body and blood
of our Lord
Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.
Communion of the Priest:
Priestly Preparation: May the receiving of your Body and Blood,
Lord Jesus
Christ, not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through
your loving
mercy be for me protection in mind and body and a healing
remedy.
Priest: This is
the Lamb of
God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those
who are called
to his supper.
Priest and All: Lord, I am not worthy to receive you but
only say the
word and I shall be healed.
Priest: May the Body of Christ keep me safe for
eternal life.
May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.
Communion Antiphon:
Communion Prayer:
Priest: The Good Shepherd has risen, who laid down his life for his
sheep and
willingly died for his flock, alleluia.
Communion of the Faithful:
Priest: The Body of Christ.
The Faithful: Amen.
Priest/Deacon/
Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister: The Blood of Christ.
The Faithful: Amen.
Cleansing of the Vessels:
Priest: What has passed our lips as food, O Lord,
may we possess
in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may
be our healing
for eternity.
Prayer after Communion:
Priest:
Let us
pray.
Priest: Look upon your flock, kind Shepherd,
and be pleased
to settle in eternal pastures the sheep you have redeemed by the
Precious Blood
of your Son. Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Concluding Rite
Greeting:
Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with
your
spirit.
Priest: Bow down
for the
blessing.
Dismissal Prayer:
Priest: May God, who by the Resurrection of his
Only Begotten
Son was pleased to confer on you the gift of redemption and of
adoption, give
you gladness by his blessing.
All: Amen.
Priest: May he,
by whose
redeeming work you have received the gift of everlasting
freedom, make you
heirs to an eternal inheritance.
All: Amen.
Priest: And may you, who have already risen
with Christ in
Baptism through faith, by living in a right manner on this
earth, be united
with him in the homeland of heaven.
All: Amen.
Final Blessing:
Priest: And may the blessing of almighty God, the
Father, and
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with
you
forever.
Dismissal Prayer:
O
my Jesus, forgive us our sins.