From the Pastor – May 7, 2017

“TELL ME, YOU WHOM MY HEART LOVES, WHERE YOU PASTURE YOUR FLOCK.”

An Easter Sourcebook: The Fifty Days, p. 71

On behalf of our entire parish, and myself, I want to welcome JOSEPH CARDINAL TOBIN, to our parish to celebrate Mass with our deanery on Tuesday, May 9, at 7:30 PM. It is an honor and a privilege to have Cardinal Tobin among us. The priests and parishioners of the parishes of the deanery will be joining us for Mass. Following the Mass, there will be a town hall type meeting in Hatcher Hall. Light refreshments will be served. This should be a great event for our parish and deanery.
Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is speaking of himself as the one who watches over all of us. Jesus is the one who has given us an example to follow, and as the apostles came to understand this better, they accepted the responsibility to continue his work. It was Jesus who showed them the way to the Father and to God’s people.
By virtue of our baptism, we have also accepted the responsibility to bring the Good News of Jesus to others, and helping to make the Kingdom of God a reality for all we meet. Like the apostles, we, too, are called to follow the example that Jesus has set for us. As the shepherd Jesus is the one whose example of care and concern touched a hurting world. He sends us forth to bring that same care and concern for others. Sometimes, though, the task seems too hard and difficult. That’s because the care of God’s people takes a great deal of time, effort, energy, and a willingness to touch others with the gentle love of the Father as reveled in Christ Jesus.
The shepherd is not only the one who leads the sheep, but watches over and cares for them. Jesus does that for us, as he fills us with his Word and nurtures us with the Eucharist. It is the Spirit that motivates to follow the example that Jesus has set for us, hoping that we would make a difference for others as Jesus has made for us.
Jesus is the shepherd; we are the people of his flock who have been given an insight into the secrets of Jesus’ heart. These are really calls to faith in God and to express that faith in the way we speak and act towards one another. As Jesus leads us, he invites us to follow and to walk together on the road that leads to salvation. The Good Shepherd has done his work, now we have to do ours.
HAPPY EASTER SEASON!! HAPPY MYSTAGOGIA!!!