Easter: April 27th
Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Other Commemorations: Our Lady of Montserrat (Hist); St. Zita, Virgin (RM); St. Simeon, Bishop and Martyr (RM)
MASS READINGS
April 27, 2026 (Readings on USCCB website)
PROPERS [Show]
COLLECT PRAYER
Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter: O God, perfect light of the blessed, by whose gift we celebrate the paschal mysteries on earth, bring us, we pray, to rejoice in the full measure of your grace for ages unending. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
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Today is the traditional feast of Our Lady of Montserrat. Monserrat is located in the region of Catalonia in Spain. Legend relates that the original sculpture was carved by St. Luke and brought to Montserrat by St. Peter in 50 A.D. St. Ignatius of Loyola, a former Crusader, decided to become a missionary after having prayed before this image of Mary.
The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Zita of Lucca (1218-1272), a virgin who died in 1278. She is the patroness of homemakers.
St. Simeon of Jerusalem (d. 107) is also commemorated today. He was was the second bishop of Jerusalem (after St. James the Apostle), and died a martyr under the Emperor Trajan.
Meditation: Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Jesus, the Good Shepherd
1. Easter, the day of the Lord's victory over sin and hell, the day of our resurrection to a new life (through baptism and penance), today receives a new meaning. The risen Lord is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. With her heart filled with gratitude, the Church recognizes Jesus as the Good Shepherd. "The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord, alleluia; by the word of the Lord [I baptize thee; I absolve thee from thy sins; this is My body, and this is My blood] were the heavens [the redeemed] made, alleluia, alleluia. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just [the redeemed, the Church!" (Introit).
2. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. "The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. But the hireling and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep and flieth; and the wolf catcheth and scattereth the sheep; and the hireling flieth because he is a hireling and he hath no care for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd; and I know Mine, and Mine know Me, as the Father knoweth Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for My sheep" (Gospel).
The mark by which the good shepherd is to be recognized is his selfless zeal for the welfare of the flock that has been entrusted to him. His zeal makes him willing to sacrifice his life for his flock. It is otherwise with the hireling, who works for a fee, for he is a hireling whose own the sheep are not. When he sees the enemy, the wolf, coming, he does not place himself on guard. He will not risk his own life; he assures first his own safety, for he lacks a personal interest in the flock. There is still another mark by which the true shepherd may be recognized. He knows personally each of the sheep committed to his care. For him the individual sheep is not just one among many, as would be the case with the hireling. There exists between the individual soul and Jesus a union so personal and so intimate and trusting, that the union of the Father and Son in the Blessed Trinity is mirrored in it. The mutual understanding and love of the Father and Son are reflected also by this relationship between the Good Shepherd and His flock.
Blessed are we, the baptized, the children of the Church, who have been entrusted to Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He lays down His life for His sheep. He guides each one of them, cares for them, and loves them with an intimate love, as though each sheep were His only care. What unquestioning faith and confidence we should have in the Good Shepherd!
"The Good Shepherd giveth His life for His sheep." As a matter of fact He is so concerned for our salvation that He descended from heaven, subjected Himself to suffering, and became obedient unto death for our sake. How zealously He has sought us out! He comes daily in the Mass in search of us; seeking us out, He enters our hearts each day in Holy Communion. He lives and prays for us unceasingly in the solitude of the tabernacle. He inspires us and enlightens us without ceasing, and is continually knocking at the door of our hearts with His grace. He consoles us, reproaches us, delights us, admonishes us, allows us to fall, and then raises us up; He protects us from ourselves and from our own evil inclinations, desires, and passions. "I am the Good Shepherd; and I know Mine." This assurance sustains us; for He is the Good Shepherd of my soul, and I am His chief concern. He knows me, all that is in me, both the good and the evil. His eyes follow me wherever I wander. When my way is through briars or painful thorns, He helps me; when I am in need, when I am troubled or in darkness, He comes to me. His heart beats for me, and He is always near me, even when I am obliged to go forth into a hostile world, and when I cry out in vain for love and sympathy.
3. "I am the Good Shepherd." He has risen; He, the Good Shepherd who seeks me so lovingly, lives. The man who possesses this living faith can never be poor, or homeless, or alone. There can never again be for him a sterile period, either in his heart or in his work. Let us live with the liturgy in the spirit of faith.
"I know Mine, and Mine know Me." Where? In the offering of true love. Only the spirit of sacrificial love can build a bridge between the Shepherd and His sheep. Only when love has been purified of all selfishness, can a true interior and vital union, based on perfect mutual understanding, be realized between the Shepherd and His sheep. No one can remain faithful unless he bears the imprint of the Lord's wounds in his heart. That is the mystery of the true shepherd, Jesus Christ.
—Benedict Baur, OSB, The Light of the World, Vol. 2
Our Lady of Montserrat
The origin of the devotion to Our Lady at the shrine of Montserrat according to the earliest written records dates from 932, when the Count of Barcelona confirmed and renewed an endowment to the shrine made by his father in 888. This gift was again confirmed in 982 by Lothaire, King of France. Constant and unbroken tradition is that even previous to 888, an image of Our Lady was miraculously found among the rocks of Montserrat. Montserrat itself is a fantastic mountain group, four thousand feet high, about twenty miles from Barcelona. The name, Montserrat, of Latin origin, means saw-edged mountain. It is formed by huge boulders that raise their immense bulk perpendicularly to that four thousand foot summit. Outwardly, it resembles the seemingly inaccessible monasteries seen on high Mount Athos in Greece: "Montserrat is, and will forever be, a source of deep impressions caused by the singularity of the place. There, what is material becomes cyclopean, the mysterious is turned mystical and the picturesque is promoted to sublimity." There is a story that the mountain was once a huge boulder with a smooth surface. At the time of the Crucifixion of Jesus, however, when the sun darkened, the rock was shaken to its very foundations and when light returned, the mountain had a thousand peaks.
The legend relates that the figure of Our Lady came from Jerusalem to Barcelona, and was brought into the mountains to save it from the Saracens. It is true that the Montserrat statue has oriental features, but this could well be traced to the Byzantine sculptors who were constantly employed in the West. The legend goes on to say that in the eighth century shepherds one night saw strange lights on the mountain and heard Seraphic music.
Guided by the shepherds, the Bishop of Manresa found, in a cavern, a wooden figure of Our Lady and the Holy Child. He ordered that the statue be carried into the cathedral immediately. However, the procession with the statue never reached the cathedral because, after much marching, the small wooden figure became too heavy so that the Bishop decided to accept it as a sign and left it in a chapel of a nearby hermitage. The statue remained there until a church was built on the site of the present abbey on the top of the rocks near where the statue was discovered.
Since that incident, this statue is the most celebrated, the most important of Spain; it is thirty-eight inches in height, and is known as "La Morenata"—The Little Black Madonna. The wood is now black with age; one of its most striking features is the dignified expression of Our Lady. In her right hand, she holds a majestic orb.
—Excerpted from Shrines to Our Lady by Zsolt Aradi
Highlights and Things to Do:
- Visit the website of the Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat.
- Read more about the statue of Our Lady of Montserrat.
- Read about Saint Josemaria and Our Lady of Montserrat.
St. Zita
St. Zita spent her life from age 12 until her death at age 60 as a servant in the household of the Sagrati family. Zita had been born into a devout family, and when she was a child, she would respond with instant obedience when her mother would say either, "This is pleasing to God" or "That would displease God." As a servant, Zita was an excellent worker. Both the household and the Sagrati children were committed to her care. Zita believed that "A servant is not pious if she is not industrious; work-shy piety in people of our position is sham piety." Zita was also a great friend to the poor, giving away her food and contenting herself with scraps. For years she had to suffer hostility from the other domestics, but on several occasions her goodness was miraculously recognized. One morning, when she had inadvertently over-stayed in church praying until sunrise, she hurried home to find the bread dough already prepared for the oven. Zita's last years were spent in the esteem of the household and engaged in contemplation and charity. She was especially devoted to prisoners awaiting execution, and she spent hours praying for them. St. Zita died very peacefully while at prayer.
—Excerpted from Saints Calendar and Daily Planner by Tan Books
Symbols and Representation: bag; cooking equipment; dishes; keys; kitchen equipment; loaves; plates; platters; rosary; serving maid with a bag and keys
Patronage: against losing keys; butlers; domestic servants; homemakers; housemaids; lost keys; maids; manservants; people ridiculed for their piety; rape victims; servants; servers; single laywomen; waiters; waitpersons; waitresses; Lucca, Italy
Highlights and Things to Do:
- Read more about St. Zita:
- Bake a loaf of bread today in honor of St. Zita, the Little Cook, or serve Baked Ziti as a play on Zita's name.
- Her body is incorrupt and located in Basilica de San Frediano in Lucca, Italy. Wikipedia lists describes some of the different diseases and damage to her body that tests have shown, revealing a life of much suffering and pain.
St. Simeon of Jerusalem
A blood relative of Christ, he was martyred in early apostolic times. Succeeding the apostle James, Simeon, the son of Cleophas, was, it may be said, the second bishop of Jerusalem. He ruled over the Church of Jerusalem for forty years.
Under the Emperor Trajan he was arraigned before Atticus, the governor, on charges of being a Christian and a relative of Jesus. For at a certain period, all descendants of David were apprehended. After enduring all types of torture, he was affixed to a cross, even as His Savior. Those present marveled how a man of such advanced age (he was 120 years old) could so steadfastly and joyously bear the excruciating pains of crucifixion. He died on the 18th of February, 106 A.D.
The siege and the destruction of Jerusalem took place during his episcopacy. He accompanied the Christian community to Pella.
—Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
Highlights and Things to Do:
- In the spirit of the blind man in today's Gospel and mindful of St. Simeon's joy upon his martyrdom, pray for vision to see the Crucified Christ in all your struggles.
- Saint Josemaria Escriva recommends that the serious Christian carry with him a small crucifix, which he may keep before himself at all times. In your case, this may be the kitchen, the office, the classroom, or any place in which you are fulfilling your duties. When it becomes difficult to persevere, look upon Christ and be reminded of the value of your small trials.
- Read this account of the martyrdom of St. Simeon by St. Eusebius of Caesarea.
- If you are interested in genealogy you might like to read about the genealogy of Christ at New Advent.
