From the Pastor’s Desk
SUNDAY REFLECTIONS
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – 08 MAY, 2022
My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Jesus
Christ
Love and Peace!
Introduction:
The fourth
Sunday of Easter, known as Good Shepherd Sunday, is also the “World Day of
Prayer for Vocations.” The Scripture lessons for this day concern the role of
the shepherds of God’s flock in the Church. Each year on this Sunday, we
reflect on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who devotedly and kindly
takes care of his flock.
Today’s Readings:
The first
reading presents Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey to Asia
Minor (present day Turkey). On the Sabbath, Paul and Barnabas entered the
synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia where they were
invited to give a word of exhortation to the people. They explained that since
Christ had been rejected by the Jews, Christians were obliged to preach the
Gospel to all the nations, thus emphasizing the universal mission of
Christianity. Paul and Barnabas remained faithful to the Gospel that Jesus had
revealed. They “were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit” and continued to
preach to the Gentiles who welcomed them with delight. The mission of the
Church is indeed a continuation of the ministry of salvation begun by Jesus.
In the second
reading from the Book of Revelation, the vision Jesus gave to St. John the
Evangelist, to be written down, was meant to instruct and encourage persecuted
Christians, not only of the First Century but of all centuries. The Vision
presents Jesus as both the slain and glorified Lamb and the Good Shepherd. John’s
visions promised his readers that Jesus, the Passover Lamb, would shepherd
them, providing them with shelter, protection, and safe passage to the
life-giving waters of eternity.
The short
passage of the Gospel we read today reveals some of the characteristics of the
Good Shepherd as well as that of the sheep of his flock. Jesus, the Good
Shepherd, knows his sheep. The knowledge that the shepherd has of the sheep is
profound. Taking the shepherd- sheep relationship to human realm, we say that
Jesus knows all our thoughts, needs, difficulties, etc. This knowledge leads
him to pay personal attention to each one of us. The Good Shepherd considers
the sheep of his flock as the greatest gift of the Father. Not only Jesus
considers us as God’s best gift, but also, he sees the best in us and he brings
out the best in us. Let us pray for “vocations to priesthood” who will be our
shepherds in our synodal journey of faith.
Message for Life:
Let us
become good shepherds and good sheep, good leaders and good followers.
1) Let us
become good shepherds: Everyone who is entrusted with the care of others is a
shepherd. Hence, pastors, parents, teachers, doctors, nurses, government
officials, etc. are all shepherds. We become good shepherds by loving those
entrusted to us, praying for them, spending our time and talents for their
welfare, and guarding them from physical and spiritual dangers. Parents must be
especially careful of their duties, thus giving their children good example
through the way they live their Christian lives as husband and wife and as
parents.
2) Let us be
good sheep in the fold of Jesus, the Good Shepherd: Our local parish is our
sheepfold, and our pastors are our shepherds. Jesus is the High Priest, the
bishops are the successors of the apostles, the pastors, assisted by their
Deacons, are their helpers and the parishioners are the sheep. Hence, as the
good sheep of the parish, parishioners are expected to
a) hear and
follow the voice of their shepherds through their homilies, Bible classes,
counseling, and advice;
b) receive
the spiritual food our pastors provide by regular participation in the Holy
Mass, by frequenting the Sacraments, and by attending prayer services, renewal
programs, and missions;
c) cooperate with our pastors by
giving them positive suggestions for the welfare of the parish, by encouraging
them in their duties, by lovingly offering them constructive criticism when
they are found misbehaving or failing in their duties, by praying for them
always and forgiving them at need; and
d) cooperate
with our fellow-parishioners in the activities of various ministries, and
parish programmes.
3) Let us
pray for generous responses to all the vocations God offers men to enter the
priesthood, the diaconate, the mission fields, and all the vocations God offers
both men and women to enter the consecrated life, so that we may have more good
shepherds to lead, feed, and protect the Catholic community here an abroad. Let us remember that the duty of fostering
vocations is the concern of the whole believing community, and we discharge
that responsibility primarily by living exemplary Christian lives. Parents
foster vocations by creating a God-centered climate in homes based on solid
Christian values. They should pray with their children for vocations during the
family prayer time and speak encouraging words about their pastors, the
missionaries, and the religious, instead of criticizing these servants of God.
Such an atmosphere in the family will definitely foster vocations from such
families. Financial support of seminarians is also a positive contribution to
promoting vocations.
Today we celebrate “Mothers” Day as an expression of
our respect and love to our own mothers as well as to all mothers in the world.
God has given us mothers to carry us, raise us, teach us, and mould us into
godly people. Of course no mother is perfect, and not everyone grew up with a
loving mother. But every mother out there — from the one who
feels she was born to be a mom to the one who struggles with the title —
deserves honor and praise for the role God has given them, a role that reflects
God in a deeply profound way.
Mother’s Day is the perfect occasion to offer this
honor and love in word and deed, to show the extent to which we’re grateful for
all they do, every day. Let us pray for all the mothers including the single
mothers.
Conclusion:
For us
Christians, the beloved disciple is the role we are cast into. We must step
into the part of the beloved disciple like St. John. We must presume an
intimacy with Christ, our dearest friend; we must search for the generosities
that surround us in order to point out, to ourselves and each other, Christ’s
handiwork in our lives, in order to interpret his largesse, to foretell his
donation, in the midst of life. This friendship enables us to interpret, not
only the sacred scriptures, but also the world. It becomes the fundamental and
only hermeneutic: the lens through which everything is seen. Friendship with
Christ is the fundamental key; it is the lens through which everything must be
measured, weighed, interpreted. We must each become beloved disciples — friends
— of Christ, so that, in the midst of our own lives, we too can say with
confidence and certainty, wherever we are, in whatever experience: “It is the
Lord.” And Christ too will say: “They know me; I know them.”
AMEN
Stay Blessed! Stay Safe!
With Blessings
Fr. Xavier Kannickairaj
Pastor