God Calling

John 10.11-18
Jesus said to the Pharisees: 11‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away – and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.’

Homily at St Saviour, Scarborough

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd is the one who lays down his life for his sheep” (John 10.11-18)

 

Today we are asked to reflect on the Christian vocation we each have as a result of our baptism. Jesus presents himself as the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep and our common vocation is to this holiness and to this means of evangelising the world.

But today we are also especially asked to pray for more vocations to the priesthood and to the consecrated life.

 

Forty five years ago, in 1964, Pope Paul VI instituted this annual ‘World Day of Prayer for Vocations’ and most other churches have followed suite since. In the Church of England Anglo Catholics have an active programme promoting prayer for more vocations and nurturing vocations among us. One of the clear signs that God’s blessing rests on those of our integrity is that new vocations are being received and responded to all the time.

 

In 2006 a feature film was released onto the general cinema circuit with the title ‘The Good Shepherd’. Contrary to what you might think it wasn’t about Jesus or about the work of the Church. It was about the birth of the Central Intelligence Agency in America. It tells the story through the prism of one man’s life. Edward Wilson believed in America and was prepared to sacrifice everything he loved to protect it. It asks the question ‘Who is the good shepherd? The one who looks after his family or the one who sacrifices all for his country?’ Edward Wilson’s answer was the later.Church modernists try to tell traditionalists that society no longer finds the gospel imagery of shepherds and sheep relevant to urban society but here is a film that says the opposite. The makers clearly believed that the example of ‘The Good Shepherd’ had plenty to say to modern America.

 

The vocation to the priesthood and the religious life is no less than an invitation to imitate Jesus. It involves authentic sacrifice: a giving of oneself to God’s people, a willingness to serve and not to count the cost.

 

Pope Paul VI who introduced this day of prayer to the church in 1964 had this to say when the day was being observed in 1972:

“Be confident that Christ’s invitation is still extended personally in human hearts: It is up to you to help awaken a consciousness of this calling, to counsel generosity in accepting it and perseverance in fulfilling it. You know that you yourselves must radiate authentic Christian joy and that your ministry cannot be devoid of personal prayer and penance. And in the Eucharistic celebration the entire community of God’s people must be united in begging ‘the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest’”.

 

Thank God that he sent Jesus to be our good shepherd and to lay down his life for us.

Thank God that he has never failed to give the priests and religious the church  has needed to proclaim the gospel and nurture the faithful.

Pray for vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life.

Persue your own vocation to holiness and mission with faithfulness and perseverance.

Chosen by lot

When the early church needed to choose a replacement for Judas to make up the number of the 12 apostles they selected two with the right qualifications - with Jesus from the beginning and a witness to his resurrection. They then left the final choice to God by the mechanism of choosing by lot. This is how the process may have gone.......

Matthias is chosen by lot to replace Judas

(knock, knock, knock)
PETER ----- (afar) Come in.(door open)(afar) Oh, Barsabbas, come in. Come in.
BARSABBAS - Hello, Peter. Oh, they're all here.
PETER ----- Yes, Barsabbas I asked all eleven remaining apostles to come. And Matthias, too.
BARSABBAS - What for, Peter?
PETER ----- We're going to choose an apostle to replace Judas Iscariot.
BARSABBAS - Well, then, I'm your man. So, now I can raise people from the dead and prophecy the future, huh?
PETER ----- Not so fast, Barsabbas. We have to do this God's way.
BARSABBAS - Oh, I get it. You have to swear me in, huh? How do we do this? You want me standing up or kneeling down?
PETER ----- Ah, you don't understand. We haven't selected Judas' successor yet.
BARSABBAS - So, what's to select? I'm the best man for the job.
PETER ----- Well, Matthias is well qualified too.
BARSABBAS - I beg to differ. I have healed more lepers, I have driven out more demons, I even healed blind people. So, how is Matthias more qualified?
PETER ----- He's more humble.
BARSABBAS - Oh. Hey, I'm humble too. I'm way more humble than Matthias. In fact, I may be the most humble disciple in the bunch.
PETER ----- I'm sure. Well, let's let God choose the next apostle.
BARSABBAS - I can already tell you who he'll choose.
PETER ----- You have the gift of prophecy already?
BARSABBAS - Well, no, but...
PETER ----- Then, we'll cast lots.
BARSABBAS - Lots?! You mean throw dice?
PETER ----- Yes.
BARSABBAS - Well, that's not fair.
PETER ----- What could be more fair than casting lots?
BARSABBAS - Well, it's all luck. Do you want the BEST man or the luckiest man?
PETER ----- Don't you believe that the God who created the universe can make the dice fall the way he wants them to?
BARSABBAS - Okay, yeah, sure. Why not.
PETER ----- Alright, you cast first.
BARSABBAS - No, let Matthias cast first. I'm feeling real lucky today. (clears throat) I mean, I'm confident God will choose the best man.
PETER ----- Alright, Matthias, you cast first. (pause, dice rattle, dice tumble)Three.
BARSABBAS - Alright! I mean, gee, that's too bad. He only got a three. What a shame. Matthias is a good man.
PETER ----- Your cast, Barsabbas. (dice rattle)
BARSABBAS - Come on, mama, baby needs a new pair of shoes.
PETER ----- Excuse me?
BARSABBAS - I mean, ah, may the Lord bless my cast.(dice tumble)
PETER ----- Two.
BARSABBAS - Two?! How could I throw a two? Let me see those dice. (beat) Two. I'll be darned.
PETER ----- So, I guess the Lord has chosen Matthias as our newest apostle.
BARSABBAS - Let's cast again. Best two out of three.
PETER ----- Well, I don't...
BARSABBAS - Hey, if God chose him once, won't he chose him twice?
PETER ----- Well, alright.
BARSABBAS - I'll throw first. (blows)(dice rattle) Seven come eleven, come on, baby!(dice tumble)Ahha! Eleven! Alright!
PETER ----- Matthias, your cast.
BARSABBAS - Well, since I'm on a roll, Matthias may want to just admit defeat. (laughs nervously) Or not...
PETER ----- Matthias?(dice rattle, dice tumble)
PETER ----- Twelve.
BARSABBAS - Twelve?! Nobody's that lucky. Lemme see those dice.
PETER ----- If the Lord is involved, Barsabbas. It isn't luck.
BARSABBAS - Oh, yeah. Okay. Best three out of five?
PETER ----- (afar) Nice try.(door open, footsteps)
BARSABBAS - (fading) Wait a minute. Where are you going? What would be wrong with three out of five? How about one more roll. Winner takes all? Peter? Peter!

Called to priesthood?

Tomorrow is Vocations Sunday.

ACS continues to do a good job.

What is ACS?

Joshua Watson
The Additional Curates Society was founded in 1837by a Christian layman, Joshua Watson.It's purpose is to ensure that the Christian Faith is proclaimed in poor and populous parishes.It does this by funding assistant priests, and encouraging vocations to the priesthood.

ACS believes that the sacrament of Holy Order, Priesthood, is a precious gift from God and a means of grace for His people. ACS also holds precious the people of God, especially in poor and populous parishes. ACS prays and works to ensure that parishes will have priests. It gives grants to parishes for priests. It fosters and encourages vocations to the priesthood. Although the purpose of ACS is to provide parishes with priestly ministry, it is not to be thought of as a ‘society of priests'. , ACS is really a society of lay people who value and cherish the ministry of priests in bringing the good news of Jesus to people in hard pressed parishes. ACS was founded by a layman and ACS continues to exist today because of the enthusiasm, faithful prayers and hard work of lay people throughout the land. ACS is not primarily a fund-raising organisation. The main work of ACS is to hold before people the vision of Christ bringing salvation to people in desperate need. At the same time ACS shows that Christ gave his Church the gift of Priesthood as a vital instrument in proclaiming hisgospel. It encourages prayer for the mission of the Church, concern for people in need, and support for those called to the Sacred Priesthood. ACS provides literature to encourage prayer, broaden vision, and awaken vocation. It is happy to receive funds to achieve all this. It understands the need for money in a material world. A motto of the ACS is that if God can raise the dead, he can raise a penny or two for the living! The story of ACS is living proof that he does.

Called by God

At the age of 12 I believed I knew what God wanted me to do with my life. He wanted me to serve Him in the ordained ministry of the church. Acting on that belief has determined the course of my life from then to now. This is why I was pleased to read the following testimony of a contemporary ordinand, Mark Wharton.

Here I am, Lord...Send me!

I'm told that good things come to those who wait and this has become my catch phrase because I waited a long time to attend the Catholic Societies Vocations Conference. I applied no less than three times before they allowed me to attend.

I first felt called to the Sacred Ministry when I was twelve and so I went to my parish priest and he said "That's silly, you have to come back when you're 18." So I went back when I was 13 and when I was 14 and when I was 15, and eventually he gave up and agreed to sit down and talk to me about it. Most of the people who I talked to either said it was a whim or that God could not possibly be calling anyone at 12. Yet both Samuel and Therese of Lisieux were under 15 when they were called to fulfil their own particular vocations. In between the times when no one was ready to listen to me, two priests stepped forward, Fr Beresford Skelton and Fr Ronald Crane, some may say a lethal combination, but they really encouraged me and helped me to discern the will of God. I attended that conference and it was fantastic; the workshops were excellent, the worship was beautiful, but above all the most valuable thing was that for the first time I had met young men, who like me want to maintain the tradition in the Church of England, of a male only Priesthood!

The office of readings for this morning was about the role of the Church universally and the role of the Church with individuals; I believe that we must make it our aim, wherever we are, to seek out every man who is being called to the Sacred Priesthood. If there is a man reading this, a man in the pew anywhere, of any age (there was a 69 year old on the vocations conference) who believes himself called to the priesthood, please, please, do something about it and do something about it today. And if there are any priests who can help us to discern the will of God for our lives, please, please use your gifts and help us! Listen to us, talk to us, invite a young aspirant to your parish, pray for more vocations and look at your own people and discern with them what their calling may be.

I want to end with an example from Newcastle; We have two petitioning parishes in the diocese and we have three men under 25, who believe themselves called to either the priesthood or the religious life. If this is the trend in just two parishes, how many more young men are there who really believe themselves called, but who are waiting for the opportunity to be listened to ?

We must flood the land with young, catholic, missionary, priests, who in every city and town, in every village and community, will build up a Church based upon universal catholic truth and action. If our place in the church is to continue to be secure we need many more young priests who will be here in many years to come, still serving, teaching, and living for the sake of all Christ's people in this place and throughout the world.

(from Spring 2008 "Forward! plus")

Destination Jerusalem

Gospel


Lk 9:51-62


When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled,he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there,but they would not welcome himbecause the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heavento consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.



As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him,“I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him,“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”



And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plowand looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”





Reflection

•What happened to Jesus when he reached Jerusalem?


•What is the destination of your journey?


•How do you serve God? Your neighbor?


•Where is the path that you follow? (Is it a material or spiritual path?)





WE FOLLOW JESUS TO JERUSALEM TO SUFFER, DIE, AND TO
RISE WITH HIM TO A NEW LIFE



The gospel today tells us that Jesus is resolute and determined to go to Jerusalem to suffer, die, rise from the dead, ascend into heaven, and send down the Holy Spirit to give life to the whole world; to give love, joy and peace to the whole world!





The second part of the gospel tells us that in order to follow Jesus we have to give up all our possessions: “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Lk 9:58) The gospel also tells us that in order to follow Jesus we have to give up our filial obligations, even of burying one’s father: “Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.” (Lk 9:60) Finally, the gospel tells us that in order to follow Jesus we have to give up all our family ties: “Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Lk 9:62)





In the Eucharist, we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we eat his body and drink his blood, and our Risen Lord will give us the Holy Spirit, to help us follow him to Jerusalem, to suffer, die, and to rise to a new life; to give the Holy Spirit to the whole world; to give life, love, joy and peace to the whole world!

Just let Him use you

The next time you feel like God cannot use you, just remember...

Abraham was too old. Noah was drunk.
Isaac was a daydreamer. Joseph was abused.
Jacob was a liar. Moses had a stuttering problem.
Leah was ugly. Rahab was a prostitute.
Gideon was afraid. Elijah was suicidal.
Isaiah preached naked. Jonah ran from God.
Naomi was a widow. Job went bankrupt.
Peter denied Christ. Zaccheus was too small.
Paul was too religious. Timothy had an ulcer.
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer.
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young.
David had an affair and was a murderer.
The Disciples fell asleep while praying.
Martha worried about everything.
The Samaritan women was divorced, more than once
And.......Lazarus was !

Now! No more excuses! God can use you to your full potential.
Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.

Good Shepherd Sunday

The name of the day arises from today's gospel. Also observed as "World Day of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life" for the same reason. Here is what my regular Jesuit prayer site has to say about it:

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER [Good Shepherd Sunday/Vocation Sunday]
Acts 4:8-12; 1 John 3:1-2; John 10:11-18

TODAY IS KNOWN AS GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY because, in each year of the liturgical cycle on this 4th Sunday, the Gospel is always taken from the 10th chapter of John where Jesus speaks of himself as the "good shepherd".

Not like a hired hand
In today's passage Jesus emphasises the self-sacrificing element in his own life: "The good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep." He contrasts the good shepherd who owns the sheep to someone who is simply hired to look after them. The hired man thinks primarily of his own welfare and, if he sees a wolf coming, he takes off, leaving the sheep to be attacked and scattered in fear and terror. Jesus, on the other hand, will not be like a hired person: "I lay down my life for my sheep."Perhaps he contrasts himself with those mercenary religious leaders among his own people - and to be found in every religious grouping - who do just what is expected of them but have no real commitment or sense of responsibility to those in their charge.

He knows his sheep
Secondly, the good shepherd knows his sheep and they know him. There is a mutual bond of love and intimacy. That love is compared to the deep mutual relationship that exists between Jesus and his Father. "My own know me just as the Father knows me."Again the hired man or the self-interested leader will not have such a relationship with his charges. The Second Reading speaks in similar terms when the author says, "Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God's children, and that is what we are."

One shepherd and one flock
Thirdly, the good shepherd deeply desires that many other sheep should come to identify themselves with him. "There are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and these I have to lead as well." The ultimate goal is that "there will be only one flock, and one shepherd", that the whole world will be united together with its God and Lord. This is the meaning of the Kingdom which is at the heart of the Gospel message.This is a goal which preoccupies us still today. There are still so many millions of people who have not yet heard the message of a loving God, a God who sent his only Son to die for them. They seek meaning and happiness in their lives by pursuing all kinds of other goals which inevitably turn to ashes: material abundance, status in the eyes of others, power over others, mistaking pleasure and hedonism for happiness...

Rejecting the Shepherd
In so doing, they reject Jesus the Good Shepherd. "Because the world refused to acknowledge him, therefore it does not acknowledge us." This is something we must learn to accept as a fact, even if it is hard to understand and even harder to take.No matter how closely we follow in the footsteps of our Shepherd, in fact, the more closely we follow him, the more likely it is that we will be rejected and even attacked. More tragic still, however, there are so many people who claim Christ as Lord, many of them very good and sincere people, who are often divided, even bitterly divided among themselves.

One Shepherd, one flock
Here, more than anywhere is there a need for all to follow one Shepherd and form one flock. Otherwise how can we give witness to the love of Christ if that love is lacking among those who claim to be companions of Jesus?Lastly, there are those who, though incorporated through baptism into the Body of Christ, consistently behave in a way which totally distorts people's understanding of Christ and his call to discipleship, fulfilment and happiness. Probably, most of us have at one time or another failed in our call to give witness to the truth and love that is to be found in Christ.

Giving life willingly
Finally, Jesus emphasises that, in giving his life for his sheep, he is doing so of his own will. It is not just by force of circumstances. His death is to be the living proof that "the greatest love a person can show is to give one's life for one's friends". This is the proof that Jesus truly is a Good Shepherd.On the face of it and looked at with purely secular eyes, the life and mission of Jesus seemed an utter failure. Even Jesus' friends and admirers must have shaken their heads in sorrow as they saw him die on the cross. Jesus himself said "It is finished." But, for him, the words had a completely different meaning.

The keystone
As Peter tells the assembled Jews in the Temple in today's First Reading, "This is the stone rejected by you the builders, but which has proved to be the keystone. For of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved."As Jesus himself says in the Gospel today, "I lay down my life of my own free will, and as it is in my power to lay it down, so it is in my power to take it up again." And so it was. The Second Reading contains part of an address Peter gave in the Temple after he and John had cured a crippled beggar at the Temple's Beautiful Gate. The healing of the man in the name of the crucified Jesus through the agency of Peter and John is the proof that Jesus is risen and working among us.

Vocation
Lastly, all of this is intimately linked with the second theme of this Sunday. Not only is it Good Shepherd Sunday, it is also "Vocations Sunday". On this day we are especially asked first of all to pray that the Church may be provided with the leaders needed to do its work of spreading the Gospel.We know that at the present time there is a critical shortage of such leaders, at least in the traditional sense - priests and religious. But, while we may earnestly pray that our Church be supplied with the leaders it needs, there can be a tendency among us to pray that OTHERS may answer that call. We do not see ourselves as included. We may pray earnestly for more young people to offer themselves as priests and religious but clearly exclude our own children.

Recognising my vocation
But the problem is a wider one. We have for too long given a much too narrow meaning to the word 'vocation'. We tend to limit it to a calling to be a priest or a member of a religious institute. But, in fact, every single one of us has a vocation. For most of us, probably, it is what we are now doing, be it as spouses, parents, teachers, doctors, civil servants, running a business, salespersons... or whatever.Nevertheless, each one of us should be asking ourselves today:Is what I am spending my energies on every day my real vocation?Is this what God wants me to be doing with my life? How is what I am doing giving witness to my Christian faith? What contribution am I offering to making this world a better place for people to live in? Am I making any kind of positive difference to other people's lives?To what extent am I a spreader of truth, of love, of justice, of freedom, of tolerance and acceptance...?

What, who is my life FOR?
And, if I am in a position which would be difficult to change (as a spouse or parent or holding a particular job), how, within that situation, is God calling me to greater service of my Church and my community? Am I giving something through my life or am I just using society (and even the Church) to get what I want?God is calling every single one of us to work for the Gospel. For a small number it may be as a priest or religious - and that call can come at any time in one's life. But there are hundreds of other ways of serving the Church and helping to build up the Christian community. Where is God calling me to make my own unique contribution based on the particular talents God has given me?If every single one us were to answer that question sincerely and to act upon it, I am confident that our Church would have all the leadership it needs.

© Frank Doyle SJFrank Doyle is an Irish Jesuit, working as chaplain in Gonzaga College in Dublin.