The fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. In the US, it is also Mother’s Day. In most of our parishes the pastors of our churches make a point to recognize mothers, remember them in the prayer of intentions, and give them a blessing at mass. Our pastors and parishes are usually so busy recognizing mothers that they forgot that it is Good Shepherd Sunday. Our priests naturally put themselves on the back burner and don’t draw any attention to themselves, so we may have missed honoring them today, at mass.
Mothers take care of the family at home, but our priests take care of our church family. We take them for granted a lot. It’s a shame many of us do not think ahead of time, to show our priests some recognition today too. They do such an outstanding job taking care of all of us and we seldom get a chance to tell them “thank you”. At the very least today, we should remember all of our priests, bishops and the pope in our prayers. It would be even better if we personally told them “thank you” for all they do for us, and that we pray for them. They need all the support that we can give them.
This Sunday is also known as Vocations Sunday. This is even more reason to pray for all of our priests and seminarians, but also for more devout men to hear the call to the priesthood. We should remember to pray for vocations to the priesthood and the religious life today too. The world would not continue to exist without mothers, but the sacraments of the church will not continue to exist without our precious priests either.
The reason that today is also known as Vocations Sunday is because of the gospel story where Jesus describes himself in terms of a good shepherd. The shepherd calls his sheep by name, and the sheep recognize his voice and follow him, they will follow no other. Sometimes young men and women have a nagging in their heart to the priesthood or religious life that hasn’t been verbalized yet. Maybe they haven’t told anyone else that they are experiencing the Lord’s call. That is why if you know someone that would make a good priest or nun, it is important to vocalize that to them. Perhaps they have been thinking, “Me? No way!” and yet the feelings persist.
However, sometimes married people also experience a “call within a call” as Mother Teresa put it. She was already a nun when the Lord called her to serve the poorest of the poor. You may already be married too, when the Holy Spirit begins to tug at your heart in a particular way that only you will recognize. It is important not to shrug it off. God wants you to do something. His Will, will be done whether you answer His call or not. But wouldn’t you be ashamed to find out that He called you to something specific and you shrugged it off, so He had to go to someone else to do His will? They answered the call and you didn’t? This does happen sometimes.
We listen to a lot of secular voices that tell us to buy things, behave a certain way, dress a certain way, or live like the more successful people do. Money, materialism, addictions, sex, power, fame, honors, etc. do bring a lot of pleasure into many peoples’ lives, but pleasure is not the same thing as lasting satisfaction and joy in living. Secular voices are often the “robbers and thieves” that drain us of more lasting happiness, satisfaction and peace in our lives.
Our source of joy is in Jesus. He alone wants what is best for us. Jesus has no ulterior motives or nothing to gain from us. He simply loves us, just as we are. We don’t have to be particularly bright, smart, talented, successful, nice looking, or perfect for Jesus to love us, and we don’t have to earn his love. We are simply loved for who we are.
This is true in the Body of Christ as well. There is room for everyone in the Catholic church and everyone has a place to belong. We are one body, no matter where we live. We are bound together by Word and Sacrament, on our journey with Jesus to our eternal home.
But, today, we should also be grateful for the shepherds who guide us in the footsteps of Christ.
Sunday Mass Readings:
Acts 2: 14a, 36-41 / Psalm 23: 1-6 / 1 Peter 2: 20b-25 / John 10: 1-10
