--- title: "Lectio the Liturgy: Sunday, April 26, 2026" description: Julie Storr shares a reflection on the Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Easter.  image: https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Lectio%20the%20Liturgy%20Banner.png --- [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/lectio-the-liturgy-sunday-april-26-2026#) [FAITH](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/tag/faith) # Lectio the Liturgy: Sunday, April 26, 2026 Apr 25, 2026 1:00:00 PM  |  by [Julie Storr](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/julie-storr) ![featured image](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Lectio%20the%20Liturgy%20Banner.png) *Julie Storr shares a reflection on the Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Easter. * --- This week we Lectio the Liturgy with the Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Easter. This prayer is also an example of why it is a lot of fun to see what the prayers were intended to mean when they were first written in Latin. > *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, God, for ever and ever.* Our petition in this prayer is quite simple, that God would lead us to a share in the joys of heaven. In the Latin form of the prayer, for they word share, we find the word *societatem*, which means society, community, or fellowship. There is something interesting about heaven that we sometimes lose sight of. Heaven isn’t just about getting there. It’s also about joining the Church Triumphant, the saints who have gone before us. In addition, heaven isn’t just about getting ourselves there, it’s about getting all of us there. The Church is now and will always be about being a flock, the Body of Christ. Sharing in the joys of heaven means that the humble flock will reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before. The Latin form of this prayer helps us understand more about the flock and the Shepherd. ## Sheep Need Their Shepherd In Latin, we find that the humble flock is translated from the humility of the flock. We learn in Psalm 23 that as sheep, when we are led, we are fed, our thirst is quenched, and we are refreshed. But notice that all our needs come from living from the humility of letting ourselves be led. Once we get a notion to take care of something ourselves, or to start to please others rather than God, we stop being sheep. Humility is thrown out the window and we become goats. In a class I am enrolled in, we’ve been learning about the stages of the spiritual life. As we walked through the purgative, illuminative, and unitive ways, I discovered that growing in the spiritual life is just like learning to be a sheep and not a goat. We are not self-reliant, instead, our eyes, ears, heart, and mind are only fixed on the Shepherd. Speaking of the shepherd, in the Latin form of the prayer for brave Shepherd, we find the words the bravery (or fortitude strength) of the Shepherd. The brave, strong Shepherd who has gone before brings us back to Psalm 23:4, > “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…” ## Our Shepherd Is Always with Us No matter where you are right now, know that not only has Jesus already been through it, He is still in it. In His humanity, He experienced every pain we will experience and in His divinity, being outside of space and time, and He is where you are now and He is where you will be later. Later doesn’t always mean after we die, either. The joys of heaven are ours today, we only need to remember to be a humble flock following a brave Shepherd. ![Lectio the Liturgy Sunday April 19, 2026-1](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Lectio%20the%20Liturgy%20Sunday%20April%2019%2c%20%202026-1.png?width=860&height=1075&name=Lectio%20the%20Liturgy%20Sunday%20April%2019%2c%20%202026-1.png)   --- Copyright 2026 Julie Storr Images: Holy Cross Family Ministries ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Flectio-the-liturgy-sunday-april-26-2026%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Flectio-the-liturgy-sunday-april-26-2026%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Flectio-the-liturgy-sunday-april-26-2026%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Lectio%20the%20Liturgy%3A%20Sunday%2C%20April%2026%2C%202026) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Flectio-the-liturgy-sunday-april-26-2026%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Flectio-the-liturgy-sunday-april-26-2026%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Julie Storr](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Julie%20Storr%20-%20Julie%20Storr.jpg) ### [Julie Storr](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/julie-storr) Julie Storr surprised herself when she went from “never ever going to be Catholic” to a lover of the lectionary. Her thirst for the Faith is never quenched and she is always surprised at the depth of the relationship with Christ that one can find in the Catholic Church. She and her husband live in Pocahontas, Iowa. Visit her website at [LectioTheLiturgy.com](https://www.lectiotheliturgy.com). [**](https://www.facebook.com/LectioTheLiturgy) ## Related Blog Articles [ Lectio the Liturgy: March 20, 2022 Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/lectio-the-liturgy-march-20-2022) [ Lectio the Liturgy: Sunday, January 29, 2023 Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/lectio-the-liturgy-sunday-january-29-2023) [ Lectio the Liturgy: Sunday, November 21, 2021 Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/lectio-the-liturgy-sunday-november-21-2021) ## Comments ## Donate now [![Support Catholic Mom](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545) [![CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) ##### Subscribe to Catholic Momcast on iTunes or Spotify [![itunes-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/itunes-logo-black.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-momcast/id1362352357)[![spotify-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/spotify-logo-black.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/15CoipHL7z61IDcYErV0b8?si=hqaQJSxDQgq7S1hxCwsoxQ) ##### CatholicMom on Social Networks [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) ##### About Catholic Mom [Who We Are](https://www.catholicmom.com/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.catholicmom.com/contact) [Support CatholicMom.com](https://www.catholicmom.com/support-us)   ##### Associated Links [Holy Cross Family Ministries](https://www.hcfm.org/) [Family Rosary](https://www.familyrosary.org/) [Family Theater Productions](https://www.familytheater.org/) [Congregation of the Holy Cross](https://www.holycrossusa.org/) [Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.](https://www.fatherpeyton.org/) [The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life](https://www.peytonfamilyinstitute.org/) ### **Stay connected!** Don’t miss a thing! 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