3 May 2020 - Reflection for Good Shepherd Sunday and World Day of Prayer for Vocations - Bulletin Reflection

        Today, we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, recognizing Jesus as the Good Shepherd who leads us and and guides us in our life of faith.  I remember being in Spain hiking on the Camino, seeing the shepherds guide their flocks of sheep with their dogs, with the sheep obediently following the shepherds.  When I encountered the shepherds and their flocks in Spain, I always thought of Jesus as our Good Shepherd. 
       In addition to this being Good Shepherd Sunday, this weekend we celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.  Pope Francis always speaks about the importance of encounter in our lives of faith.  Our faith is more than Creeds and Doctrine.  At its foundation, our life of discipleship must be rooted in an encounter with Christ, according to Pope Francis. In our lives of faith, we are called to have a relationship with the person of Jesus. 
        Pope Francis uses the image of encounter in speaking about the World Day of Prayer for Vocations:  “The Lord’s call is not an intrusion of God in our freedom; it is not a ‘cage’ or a burden to be borne.  On the contrary, it is the loving initiative whereby God encounters us and invites us to be part of a great undertaking.  He opens before our eyes the horizon of a greater sea and an abundant catch.”
       Just as Jesus called a group of fishermen to be his first disciples in Ancient Israel, Jesus calls each one of us to step away from the shore, to follow him on the path that he has marked out for us.  Jesus calls us to a vocation that he chooses for us out of joy - for our joy and for the joy of those around us. 
        We all have the different gifts and talents that God has given us.  We all have our particular learning style and personality.  Some of us are called to become ordained clergy in the Church, to live a consecrated religious life, or to be lay leaders in the Church.  Some of us are called to be teachers.  Some are called to be musicians.  Some of us are called to live out the sacrament of matrimony and to raise a family.  Some all called to consecrated celibate life. 
        On this World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Francis invites us to join together in prayer and to ask the Lord to help us discover his plan of love for our lives.  May God grant us the courage to walk on the path that he has chosen for each one of us.