http://www.dailycatholic.org/issue/12Apr/2eastsun.htm#haydock

Epistle: 2 Saint Peter 2: 21-25

21 For to this you have been called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow His steps.

22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth:

23 Who when He was reviled, did not revile: when He suffered, He threatened not: but delivered Himself to him that judged Him unjustly:

Commentary on Verse 23: Christ, Who was incapable of sinning, did not revile them that reviled Him; He suffered all with patience; He willingly gave Himself up to Pontius Pilate, that judged Him, and condemned Him unjustly to the death of the cross: and remember that all He suffered was to satisfy for your sins, that He bore our sins in His Own body on the tree of the cross. Remember always this great benefit of your redemption, and of your being called to believe in Him, and to be eternally happy by following His doctrine; that all of you were as sheep going astray, lost in your ignorance and in your sins, but that by His grace and by His merits you are now called and converted to Jesus Christ, the great pastor and bishop of your souls. You are happy if you live under His care, inspection, and protection. (Witham)

24 Who His Ownself bore our sins in His body upon the tree: that we being dead to sins, should live to justice: by Whose stripes you were healed.

25 For you were as sheep going astray: but you are now converted to the pastor and bishop of your souls.


Gospel: St. John 10: 11-16

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth His life for His sheep.

Commentary on Verse 11: How happy are we in having such a shepherd, so great, so good, so loving, so careful of our true welfare! O He is the true shepherd indeed, that came down from Heaven to seek the poor sheep that was lost; and when He found it, took it upon His Own shoulders to carry it home with joy to His heavenly fold. How dearly have His sheep cost Him, for truly has He made good in Himself this sentence, that the good shepherd giveth His life for His sheep. Let us then ever follow and obey, love and embrace this true shepherd of our souls. (Meditations for every Day, vol. ii. p. 417.) The good pastor gives his life for his sheep; He exposes himself to every danger to save them, no inclemency of the weather, no frost or cold, no rains or tempests, can drive him from looking over his sheep, to defend them from the attacks of wolves, &c. and like Jacob he might say, day and night was I parched with heat, and with cold, and sleep departed from my eyes. (Genesis xl.) Or, like David speaking to Saul: "Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion or a bear, and took a ram out of the midst of the flock; and I pursued after them, and struck them, and delivered it out of their mouths; and they arose up against me, and I caught them by the throat, and I strangled them, and killed them." (1 Kings xvii.) This is a model of a true pastor. But Jesus Christ has done more than this for us. He has exposed His life and His repose, He has spilled His blood, He delivered Himself to the fury of His enemies, and has offered Himself as a victim on the cross to His eternal Father, to free us, His lost sheep, from the most cruel wolf, the devil. And ever since His death He has always protected His Church, assisted and consoled His distressed flock under all their sufferings, pouring into their hearts the consolations of the Holy Spirit, and sending to them holy teachers, to govern and lead them in the holy path of salvation. Such were the apostles and their successors, the bishops and priests of the holy Catholic Church, whom He has sent, and will continue to send, to govern His flock to the end of time. (Calmet.)

12 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 fleeth: and the wolf snatcheth, and scattereth the sheep:

13 And the hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling: and he hath no care for the sheep.

Commentary on Verse 13: Every bishop and pastor is bound to abide with his flock in the time of danger, and persecution, except himself be personally sought for, rather than his flock, or the flock itself forsake him. In such cases the pastor may fly, as the apostles did, and St. Athanasius and others. (St. Athanasius, Apol. de suâ fugâ.; St. Augustine, ep. 180.)

14 I am the good shepherd, and I know Mine, and Mine know Me.

Commentary on Verse 14: I know Mine, and Mine know Me. To know, in the style of the holy Scriptures, is to love and approve. (Witham)

15 As the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father, and I lay down My life for My sheep.

Commentary on Verse 15: I lay down. That is, in a short time shall lay down My life for My sheep: for all, and in a special manner for My elect. See ver. 28. (Witham)

16 And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd.

Commentary on Verse 16: One fold. In the Greek one flock. The signification is the same; that is, there shall be one church of Jєωs and Gentiles converted. (Witham)

http://www.newadvent.org/summa/2019.htm#article2

Article 2. Whether the goodness of the will depends on the object alone?

Objection 1. It would seem that the goodness of the will does not depend on the object alone. For the end has a closer relationship to the will than to any other power. But the acts of the other powers derive goodness not only from the object but also from the end, as we have shown above (18, 04). Therefore the act also of the will derives goodness not only from the object but also from the end.

Objection 2. Further, the goodness of an action is derived not only from the object but also from the circuмstances, as stated above (Question 18, Article 3). But according to the diversity of circuмstances there may be diversity of goodness and malice in the act of the will: for instance, if a man will, when he ought, where he ought, as much as he ought, and how he ought, or if he will as he ought not. Therefore the goodness of the will depends not only on the object, but also on the circuмstances.

Objection 3. Further, ignorance of circuмstances excuses malice of the will, as stated above (Question 6, Article 8). But it would not be so, unless the goodness or malice of the will depended on the circuмstances. Therefore the goodness and malice of the will depend on the circuмstances, and not only on the object.

On the contrary, An action does not take its species from the circuмstances as such, as stated above (18, 10, ad 2). But good and evil are specific differences of the act of the will, as stated above (Article 1). Therefore the goodness and malice of the will depend, not on the circuмstances, but on the object alone.

I answer that, In every genus, the more a thing is first, the more simple it is, and the fewer the principles of which it consists: thus primary bodies are simple. Hence it is to be observed that the first things in every genus, are, in some way, simple and consist of one principle. Now the principle of the goodness and malice of human actions is taken from the act of the will. Consequently the goodness and malice of the act of the will depend on some one thing; while the goodness and malice of other acts may depend on several things.

Now that one thing which is the principle in each genus, is not something accidental to that genus, but something essential thereto: because whatever is accidental is reduced to something essential, as to its principle. Therefore the goodness of the will's act depends on that one thing alone, which of itself causes goodness in the act; and that one thing is the object, and not the circuмstances, which are accidents, as it were, of the act.

Reply to Objection 1. The end is the object of the will, but not of the other powers. Hence, in regard to the act of the will, the goodness derived from the object, does not differ from that which is derived from the end, as they differ in the acts of the other powers; except perhaps accidentally, in so far as one end depends on another, and one act of the will on another.

Reply to Objection 2. Given that the act of the will is fixed on some good, no circuмstances can make that act bad. Consequently when it is said that a man wills a good when he ought not, or where he ought not, this can be understood in two ways. First, so that this circuмstance is referred to the thing willed. And thus the act of the will is not fixed on something good: since to will to do something when it ought not to be done, is not to will something good. Secondly, so that the circuмstance is referred to the act of willing. And thus, it is impossible to will something good when one ought not to, because one ought always to will what is good: except, perhaps, accidentally, in so far as a man by willing some particular good, is prevented from willing at the same time another good which he ought to will at that time. And then evil results, not from his willing that particular good, but from his not willing the other. The same applies to the other circuмstances.

Reply to Objection 3. Ignorance of circuмstances excuses malice of the will, in so far as the circuмstance affects the thing willed: that is to say, in so far as a man ignores the circuмstances of the act which he wills.