From the Pastor’s Desk: May 12, 2019

     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 promise land.
 
     In the New Testament, especially in the Gospel we read this Sunday, the evangelist draws from the richness of the image as crystallized in the living memory, tradition, and words of Jesus Himself and in the context of the early communities. The love of Jesus- the Good Shepherd- for the sheep is manifested in a particular way in His personal, intimate knowledge of the sheep. He knows each by name and calls each one to follow Him. The sheep hear His voice; they recognize it and follow Him. There is full communion of life, based on mutual knowledge, between the shepherd and the sheep. This communion of life urges the Good Shepherd to give Himself completely for them, by laying down His life. He is ready to serve them unto the end “having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (John 13:1). He is offering up His life which is the result of His love for the sheep: “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). So the fourth Gospel presents Christ as the Messianic Shepherd who came to bring salvation to all humanity.
 
     This Sunday celebrates the 56^th annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations. On this special day we are invited to unite the faithful together in praying for the fostering of all vocations, particularly those of ordained ministry and consecrated life.  In his Message for the 2019 World Day of Vocations, Pope Francis reflected on the reality that all men are made “bearers of a promise” and are asked to have the “courage to take a risk” with Jesus and for Jesus. The Holy Father emphasized that just as the Lord beckoned Simon and Andrew to leave their nets and follow him, he also asks the same of us. He encounters each of us personally and uniquely, and it is in the midst of this encounter with Christ that Pope Francis says we are granted “the promise of a joy capable of bringing fulfillment to our lives.” The Holy Father also urged those discerning to remember that “the Lord’s call is not an intrusion of God in our freedom; it is not a “cage” or a burden to be borne. On the contrary, it is the loving initiative whereby God encounters us and invites us to be part of a great undertaking.”
 
     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.”
 
     On this special day, let us gratefully admit the fact that we cannot return in the same measure, all the love that our mothers have given us and offer most sincere prayers, love and support for all our mothers living and deceased. Therefore, united with families that are filled with celebrations, I want to express the profound gratitude we all feel for our mothers.  On this day, I pray in a very special way, for the gift of motherhood through the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God.  May she intercede for each one of you and protect you in her own motherly love.  May the blessings of God be sent upon all women who share their motherhood in the way of life, example, and inspiration they offer us.
 
     I pray for you and especially our mothers to have a blessed week and may the Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd, lead you to His most precious heart!
 
With prayers, Fr. Andy