4th Sunday of Easter
(Sunday 7th May 2017)
“One by one he calls his own sheep” – (John 10:1-10)
Every 4th Sunday of Easter is vocations Sunday. Over the last number of years the Church has widened its understanding of vocation to include all Christians. We are all called to be disciples. The Lord calls each and every one of us to follow him as our personal shepherd and master. His call is received by us on the day of our baptism when deep in our souls he invites us to follow his life. Over the years as one’s spiritual life develops it is this call that becomes more obvious and evident. That small voice which was addressed to you in the depth of your baptism becomes the direction you give to your life. When we follow this voice the Good Shepherd leads us into life and life in its fullest meaning. A life lived in communion with God, who is life.
But this Sunday does also have a specific call to prayer. Some of us are called to live publicly this call to follow Christ as ministers in the Church, either as priests or religious. This following of this call, which is also supernatural, involves a special movement of grace which asks that we freely respond to it. This Sunday we are praying that those whom the Lord is calling to follow him as priests and religious will respond to this grace and accept the call to follow the Good Shepherd alone. Pray for this intention this weekend.
As a priest and religious I want to say to anyone who feels this call in his or her heart, not to be afraid. Let us listen to the words of Saint Pope John Paul II echoing the voice of the Good Shepherd: ‘Be not afraid to open wide the doors of your life to Christ and become the saints of the new millennium’. The life of a priest and religious who decides to follow Christ seriously is a life that is full of life. Each day I thank God that I received the grace to listened to his voice and I continue to do it every day. This weekend, think seriously of being a priest or a religious. I promise you it is a life lived to the full.