20170507 PRIESTLY VOCATIONS ARE INDISPENSABLE TO THE CHURCH
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 2:14,36-41 ©
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On the day of
Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud
voice: ‘The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus
whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.’
Hearing
this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, ‘What must
we do, brothers?’ ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered ‘and every one of you must
be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and
you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for
you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom
the Lord our God will call to himself.’ He spoke to them for a long time using
many arguments, and he urged them, ‘Save yourselves from this perverse
generation.’ They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he
said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their
number.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 22(23) ©
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The Lord is my shepherd:
there is nothing I shall want.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord is my
shepherd;
there is
nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are
the pastures
where he
gives me repose.
Near restful waters
he leads me,
to revive
my drooping spirit.
The Lord is my
shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
Alleluia!
He guides me along
the right path;
he is
true to his name.
If I should walk in
the valley of darkness
no evil
would I fear.
You are there with
your crook and your staff;
with
these you give me comfort.
The Lord is my
shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
Alleluia!
You have prepared a
banquet for me
in the
sight of my foes.
My head you have
anointed with oil;
my cup is
overflowing.
The Lord is my
shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
Alleluia!
Surely goodness and
kindness shall follow me
all the
days of my life.
In the Lord’s own
house shall I dwell
for ever
and ever.
The Lord is my
shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
Alleluia!
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Second reading
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1 Peter 2:20-25 ©
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The merit, in the
sight of God, is in bearing punishment patiently when you are punished after
doing your duty.
This, in
fact, is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and left
an example for you to follow the way he took. He had not done anything wrong,
and there had been no perjury in his mouth. He was insulted and did not
retaliate with insults; when he was tortured he made no threats but he put his
trust in the righteous judge. He was bearing our faults in his own body on the
cross, so that we might die to our faults and live for holiness; through his
wounds you have been healed. You had gone astray like sheep but now you have
come back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Jn10:14
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good
shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep
and my own know me.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 10:1-10 ©
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Jesus said:
‘I tell
you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate,
but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through
the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep
hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he
has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because
they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they
do not recognise the voice of strangers.’
Jesus
told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling
it to them.
So Jesus
spoke to them again:
‘I tell you most
solemnly,
I am the gate of the
sheepfold.
All others who have
come
are thieves and
brigands;
but the sheep took no
notice of them.
I am the gate.
Anyone who enters
through me will be safe:
he will go freely in
and out
and be sure of
finding pasture.
The thief comes
only to steal and
kill and destroy.
I have come
so that they may have
life and have it to the full.’
PRIESTLY
VOCATIONS ARE INDISPENSABLE TO THE CHURCH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [
ACTS 2:14, 36-41; 1 PT 2:2-25; JN 10:1-10 ]
Everyone is seeking fullness of life,
regardless who we are. We might be faith believers, atheists or
freethinkers, but we all want a greater and fuller life. What, then, is
the fundamental difference between faith believers, particularly Christians, and
those who have faith only in themselves? The bottom line is, what is the
real path to the fullness of life? In different degrees, many of us
are deceived into thinking that life is sought for power, glory and
self-indulgence, which people wrongly call love of self. These are the
demons that control and wreck havoc in our lives. Today, more and more
people are speaking of autonomy to do anything they want. If we truly
believe that the way of the world, the way of autonomy and self-indulgence is
the way to real happiness and freedom in life, then religion becomes an
obstacle to progress and life.
But is it really true that religion,
especially the Christian Faith, prevents life and robs the joy of living?
On the contrary, Jesus made it clear that, “I have come so that they may have
life and have it to the full.” Christian Faith is not a joy or a life
killer. It seeks not only to give life but the fullness of life.
Christ is our way to the truth and to life. Jesus has come to lead us to
the greener pasture of life. By entering through Jesus, we can “go freely
in and out” without fear of losing our way. In the context of the Easter
season, today’s liturgy highlights that Jesus, as the Gate of the Sheepfold and
the Good Shepherd, has come to give us life abundantly. How?
Firstly, Jesus is the Gate to life.
Only He is the door. What is this door to life if not the passion and
death and resurrection of Jesus? This gate proposes values contrary to
that of the world. Such values are spelt out in today’s First letter to
Peter. Instead of vengeance, Jesus promotes forgiveness as the way
to heal the wounds of human conflicts; instead of self-indulgence, Christ
exhorts poverty and simplicity; instead of uncontrolled desires, Christ demands
self-discipline; instead of slavery to one’s passion, Christ bestows power over
oneself; instead of competition, Christ promotes service which leads to love;
instead of love of self, Christ teaches love of others as the only way to love
oneself authentically. This, then, is the Gate to true life and
freedom. “Anyone who enters through me will be safe; he will go freely in
and out and be sure of finding pasture.’
Conversely, those who choose the gate of
violence, self-indulgence, power, glory and self-exaltation will only destroy
themselves. Those who claim to be shepherds are actually thieves and
brigands since they lead people to damnation. Jesus said, “Anyone who
does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a
thief and a brigand.” The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd
of the flock.” Those who believe in violence will only destroy
themselves; those who care only for themselves will find life empty and
meaningless; those who spend their time in pursuit of riches, fame and power
will arrive to find that it is not power, fame or riches that can give life;
rather it is love, service, humility and generosity. So the ways of the
world are illusions. We must not allow them to deceive us. As the
sheep of Jesus, we are warned that it would be our peril to follow the voice of
strangers. We will not find real pasture if we follow them. We will
only live to regret when we realize at the end of the day that we are only
chasing after the wind. Truly, to listen to the world is to allow ourselves to
be harmed since “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”
However, Jesus is not only the Gate, He
is also the Good Shepherd because He leads the way, He goes before His sheep.
Indeed, St Peter says that because Christ suffered for us, He has left an
example for us to “follow the way he took.” As shepherd, He does not simply
teach us how to live the fullness of life but He shows us the way by living the
path Himself; the path that took Him to death on the cross, but precisely by His
wounds, He heals the world and transforms the world. Just as a shepherd takes
care of and feeds his flock, so Christ nourishes the spiritual life of the
faithful by His body and blood and through His Body the Church. In Jesus,
we see a man fully alive because He was a man totally for others and totally
for God. Certainly when we look at Jesus, we do not see a man that is
half-fulfilled, half-dead and depressed but a man fully alive and vibrant.
As the shepherd and the Gate, it means
that it is through Jesus that we know the Father. No one except Christ is the
door because He alone is the true light; others only reflect the light and are
not themselves the light. So, St Peter exhorts us “You had gone astray
like sheep but now you have come back to the shepherd and guardian of your
souls.” There is no other way we can find life except through
Christ. This explains why we must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of sins so that we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Only through death to self can we truly live. Only through the path of
the passion, self-sacrifice, love unto death can we find life! This is
the paradox of life but it is the only way to eternal life.
If indeed Jesus is the Gate and Shepherd
of life, who, then, will lead all those who are seeking authentic life to find
Him? After all, St Peter in the first reading tells us that the gift of
eternal life is given to all, since this promise was made for us and for our
children and for all those who are far away. So, it would not be fair to
condemn those who are in satanic cults and those who adopt worldly means to
find life when there is no one to enlighten them in the truth. It is easy
to curse and condemn the situation in the world, but why not light a candle instead
of cursing the darkness? That is why today, more than ever, we need
people who will continue to lead others to Jesus the Gate and the Shepherd.
This task has been given to all of us.
Everyone, according to his capacity and situation in life, is called to
be shepherd to those under their care. Hence today is Vocation Sunday because
we are all given the task to be shepherds of Jesus and to be life-givers.
Every vocation is important to the Church. Christian vocation, whatever
form it takes, is a gift, the purpose of which is to build up the Church and to
increase the kingdom of God in the world. However, if the members of the
Church are to be faithful to their vocation as shepherds, be they doctors,
teachers, lawyers, businessmen or homemakers, they must first come to know
Jesus the Good and only real shepherd.
Consequently, the vocation of the laity
is dependent on the vocation of the priesthood. Without priests, the
common priesthood would be deprived of Jesus the Good Shepherd, especially in
being nurtured by Him in the Sacraments. Hence, the Church, the
people of God cannot do without priests. Without them, the members of the
people of God will suffer and lose their specific vocation of love and
life. The ordained priesthood exists for the people of God.
Priesthood cannot be considered as a call among many others, because other
vocations depend on it.
That is why, if there are some young
people who are truly looking for challenges, authentic living and fullness of
life, then the priesthood could be for them. It is in the process of
giving life to others that we actually find life ourselves. There is
great joy in giving ourselves to others in love and service, a joy so different
from worldly joys and pleasures. Indeed, for me as a priest, I find
myself more fully alive every time I reach out to people in love and
service. The more I give myself as a servant to others and empty my life,
time, resources and energy, the more I feel energized. I become alive when I
live for others. Conversely, when I live only for myself and my pleasures
and comfort, I find life empty, meaningless and unfulfilled. This is the
paradox of being truly alive.
Let us therefore in our own ways respond
to the call of Christ. If we feel that God might be calling us, then we
must have the courage to discern and respond accordingly so that we ourselves
might find life to the fullest. Even if we are not called, then we must
in our own ways promote priestly and religious vocation so that the Church will
never be short of shepherds to build up the Church of Christ and to nurture the
laity in their mission in the world of building the kingdom of God. We must
take heed that where a shortage of vocation occurs in a diocese or country, the
intensity of faith and spiritual fervor diminishes. Hence, it would be a
mistake, therefore, to assume that an active laity would compensate for the
shortage of clergy. On the contrary if our laity were to live their baptismal
commitment zealously, ordained ministers are needed to help them.
Ultimately, the task of instilling more
priestly vocations is for our own good and for the sake of the Church.
Instead of lamenting that priests are not available and that it is so difficult
to find them, we should pray for more priests. Being human and limited in
many ways, it is simply impossible for our priests to cater to the needs of so
many people who are like sheep without shepherds, seeking life and light to
walk through the valley of darkness.
Finally, we must never forget to pray for
vocations for Jesus did remind us, “The harvest is great but the labourers are
few, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send us the labourers.” Indeed,
the first commitment to vocation is prayer. Only when we are faith-filled
people can vocations be born. We can be sure that this prayer will be
answered because God wants to send shepherds after the heart of His Son.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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