20150426 THE JOY OF INTIMACY AS THE BASIS FOR VOCATION

20150426 THE JOY OF INTIMACY AS THE BASIS FOR VOCATION

Readings at Mass

First reading

Acts 4:8-12 ©

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter said: ‘Rulers of the people, and elders! If you are questioning us today about an act of kindness to a cripple, and asking us how he was healed, then I am glad to tell you all, and would indeed be glad to tell the whole people of Israel, that it was by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the one you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by this name and by no other that this man is able to stand up perfectly healthy, here in your presence, today. 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.’

Psalm

Psalm 117:1,8-9,21-23,26,28-29 ©

The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone.

or

Alleluia!

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,

  for his love has no end.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord

  than to trust in men;

it is better to take refuge in the Lord

  than to trust in princes.

The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone.

or

Alleluia!

I will thank you for you have answered

  and you are my saviour.

The stone which the builders rejected

  has become the corner stone.

This is the work of the Lord,

  a marvel in our eyes.

The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone.

or

Alleluia!

Blessed in the name of the Lord

  is he who comes.

We bless you from the house of the Lord;

You are my God, I thank you.

  My God, I praise you.

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good;

  for his love has no end.

The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone.

or

Alleluia!

Second reading

1 John 3:1-2 ©

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.

Because the world refused to acknowledge him,

therefore it does not acknowledge us.

My dear people, we are already the children of God

but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed;

all we know is, that when it is revealed

we shall be like him

because we shall see him as he really is.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn10:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;

I know my own sheep and my own know me.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 10:11-18 ©

Jesus said:

‘I am the good shepherd:

the good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep.

The hired man, since he is not the shepherd

and the sheep do not belong to him,

abandons the sheep and runs away

as soon as he sees a wolf coming,

and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep;

this is because he is only a hired man

and has no concern for the sheep.

‘I am the good shepherd;

I know my own

and my own know me,

just as the Father knows me

and I know the Father;

and I lay down my life for my sheep.

And there are other sheep I have

that are not of this fold,

and these I have to lead as well.

They too will listen to my voice,

and there will be only one flock,

and one shepherd.

‘The Father loves me,

because I lay down my life

in order to take it up again.

No one takes it from me;

I lay it down 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 this is the command I have been given by my Father.’

THE JOY OF INTIMACY AS THE BASIS FOR VOCATION

SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 4:8-12; 1 JOHN 3:1-2; JOHN 10:11-18

Today as we celebrate Vocation Sunday, we are called to reach out to different groups of people.  All of us are called to be shepherds leading them to Christ and the fullness of life.  Each one of us according to our vocation is called to bring Christ to them.  Of course, the pride of place goes to priestly and religious vocation.  Not because it is necessarily higher than other vocations but because it is essential to the life of the Church.  Without priestly vocation, there will be no Eucharist, no sacraments and no Church.  If the Church is without priests, then soon there will be no bishop, and no pope!  We cannot imagine a Church without authoritative shepherds or without the Eucharist.

In Singapore, not only are we concerned that the population is aging and there are not enough babies.  As Church we are equally concerned that our priests are aging and we do not have sufficient priests to replace them.  Our diocesan seminary has only eight seminarians to supply to the diocese for the next eight years.  That is provided they all are ordained at their end of their formation. With aging priests and fewer priests to minister to our laity, what kind of formation, spiritual, doctrinal and moral formation will our young people and adults have?  A weakening foundation of our laity will lead to even fewer and fewer priests.   This will have an adverse effect on the Church as it will lead to greater decline and zeal because our laity is not imbued with the Spirit of Christ and the gospel.

So if on Vocation Sunday we give prominence to the priestly and religious vocation, it is not because the other vocations are of lesser value but because without the ministerial priesthood serving the laity, they cannot be witnesses of Christ in the world and wherever they are.   We also need religious vocation because they are signs of holiness of the Church and, most of all, by their evangelical counsels they show that there are those who wish to devote their lives entirely to Christ and the gospel.  Through the ministry and examples of priests and religious, the laity find inspiration and guidance in their spiritual life.

Of course, we also need more laity to come forward to serve full time in the ministry as a vocation.  We need more young people to come forward to serve full time as youth animators and coordinators.  We need more adults to serve in the Catechetical ministry as full time catechists and also in other ministries, such as Family life related services, as the family is a cause of concern for the Church, as that of our young people.  We need more committed Catholic teachers in our schools as well, otherwise with the declining number of religious in our schools and the lack of Catholic ethos and religious instructions in our Catholic schools, we will lose our young people who have become so secularized.  It also means that we miss the opportunity to sow the seeds of conversion for the future and most of all, to produce leaders of strong moral and spiritual foundation for our country and Church.

But where does the call to be shepherds after the heart of Christ come from, regardless of whatever vocation we are in?  There are certain criteria for anyone to have a real vocation in life.  What are these criteria?

We must first have encountered the Risen Lord as the apostles did.  St Peter who was brought before the Sanhedrin after curing the crippled man said to them, “If you are questioning us today about an act of kindness to a cripple, and asking us how he was healed, then I am glad to tell you all, and would indeed be glad to tell the whole people of Israel, that it was by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the one you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by this name and by no other that this man is able to stand up perfectly healthy, here in your presence, today.”  They knew the Lord was with them and that He was alive.  That was why they could appeal to His name, that is, the person of our Lord Jesus to heal the man as He did when He was on earth.  For the apostles, Jesus was Lord and God.  Until we can confess with our lips as St Paul would say, and believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord, we are not saved.

Secondly, we need to rediscover our sonship in Christ, as St John tells us.  Through Christ’s death and resurrection, He has given us back our sonship and revealed to us our true identity.  By virtue of our baptism, we are now children of God, because we have died in Him and raised with Him.  St John 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.”  Knowing in our hearts that God is our Father and that we are all His children, we too will have the same love for others as the Father loves them.

Indeed, only when we recognize ourselves as children of the Father and share the same love for the Father as Jesus did, will we then be ready to lay down our lives for others.  This is what Jesus Himself said.  “The Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me; I lay it down 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 this is the command I have been given by my Father.”  Jesus died for us primarily because of His love for His Father and He shares the Father’s love and mercy for us.  His mission came from the Father. That is why He said He is sent by the Father.  Vocation springs from knowing the heart of the Father, just as Jesus knew His Father.

Vocation therefore must spring from God’s love for us.  Vocation is different from a career or a job.  This is the main difference.  Vocation is motivated by love for God and service for humanity.  It is not motivated by one’s interests and self-gain.  It is more concerned about the good of others and their happiness than oneself.  This is what Jesus meant when He said, “The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; this is because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep.”   A vocation is always fulfilling and enriching not just to the one who serves but to the recipients.

When we are powered by love, there is no counting the cost but it calls for total giving, like Christ for His sheep, even at the cost of one’s life.  We can give ourselves entirely to the ministry, with our whole heart, mind and strength. We live each day dependent on the providence of the Lord. We know that at the end of the day, it is not about us but about others and the business of the Lord.

Indeed, today, the Lord Jesus is looking for those of us who are ready to share the fullness of His life.  He has shown us that the way to fullness of life is to give our lives in service for God and His people in utter selflessness and humility.  If you seek that fullness of life, then we must come to Jesus our Good Shepherd.  We need to know Him intimately so that He could share His concerns for His sheep with us and help us to identify ourselves with them.  He said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep.” The more we come to the Lord and experience His love, the more our love for His sheep will grow as well.  Vocation springs from identification with those whom we serve.

For this reason, in the final analysis, the basis for growing vocation is not vocation promotion.  This is secondary.  What is most important is to lead our people to a deeper relationship with the Good Shepherd!  Unless they know Him and fall in love with Him, they will not be able to be shepherds after His own heart.  Even for those of us who are already priests, religious and full time labourers in the Lord’s vineyard, without an intimate relationship with Christ, we will never be able to shepherds with a selfless, humble and compassionate heart.  Sometimes, we cause more harm to others because we call ourselves shepherds but behave like hirers.

So if we want to have more vocations, more priestly, religious and committed laity to serve in the Church, the answer is the same as that of our Lord.  “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”  (Mt 9:36-38)  So, pray, pray, pray!  Pray for your bishop, your priests, your religious, young people and pray for more shepherds to labour in the Church of Christ.   And if you can, fast and do mortifications as well!   When the Church is filled with people who are fervent in faith and love, they will respond to the call to serve the Church as priests, religious or as full time lay, without counting the cost but solely for the love of Christ and His Church.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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