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From the Pastor's Desk: May 8, 2022
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From the Pastor’s Desk: May 8, 2022
The Fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally called Good Shepherd Sunday! The image of God- the Good Shepherd- is very rich in the history of humanity. For Israel, the reference to God as shepherd is making reference to an experience which an individual or the community as a whole has had of God in history. The context where God is called shepherd emphasizes the care and concern which God shows for Israel. God is preoccupied with His people’s safety and security, and shows Himself a true shepherd in delivering, gathering, and reinstating the flock in the Promised Land.
Good Shepherd Sunday also celebrates the Annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations. On the 59th anniversary of this day, we are invited once again to be united in prayer for the fostering of all vocations, particularly those of ordained ministry and consecrated life. As Catholics, we firmly believe that God has a plan for our lives! He calls some to marriage, some to the priesthood, and others to religious life or to live as generous single people. Fully living our own vocations—and teaching young people how to discern God’s call—is a serious duty, but also a joyful one. During this week, please encourage the young people in your life—children, grandchildren, students, and friends—to be open if God calls them to priesthood or religious life. “Jesus has a specific task in life for each and every one of us. Each one of us is hand-picked, called by name by Jesus! There is no one among us who does not have a divine vocation! Some are called audibly by God, but the usual kind of call is internal, through the inner working of the Spirit.” ~Homily by Pope Saint John Paul II.
Today we also celebrate Mother’s Day. It was Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) who first suggested the national observance of an annual day honoring all mothers at a memorial service for her mother on May 10, 1908, since she had loved her own mother so dearly. Within the next few years, the idea of a day to honor mothers gained popularity, and Mother’s Day was observed in a number of large cities in the U.S. On May 9, 1914, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. He established the day as a time for “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.” It’s certainly true that no nation is ever greater than its mothers, for they are the makers of the next generation. As someone once said, “The hand that rocks the cradle, shapes the world.”
Motherhood is a very high calling. What relationship can ever replace the love of a mother and a grandmother? It is essential for women to realize that the love, guidance and influence they provide to their children are distinct and invaluable. On this day, we entrust all mothers who wish to be true to their high calling to the woman who became the greatest mother of all. Born into humble surroundings, she was called by God to be the mother of the Son of God. She affirmed her obedience to the call of God and lived out her vocation throughout her entire life. Mary, the mother of Jesus, our Blessed Mother, is the true model of motherhood.
On this beautiful day dedicated to motherhood, my prayer is that the Holy Spirit will renew the hearts of all mothers so that they can live out their calling to motherhood with a deeper and more generous love within the daily circumstances of their lives. I pray that the Holy Spirit will fill all women with the gift of love and that they may fully understand their true dignity as daughters of the awesome God of love. “Every vocation to the priesthood comes from the heart of God, but it passes through the heart of a mother” -St. Pius X
I wish you a blessed week everybody!
Mary, mother of Jesus – pray for us!
With prayers,
Fr. Andy
