Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as good shepherd Sunday. It is the world day of prayer for vocations. May ask you to close your eyes, think of an young man in your family or community who can become a priest. If you have him in your mind, will you able to tell him tonight that I thought of you as Fr. John was giving homily and start praying for him?
I will start
with my vocation story. I joined the seminary when I was fifteen. I was a
normal kid, loved to have a family, my dream was to have a beautiful wife and
two kids; one girl and one boy. But God had another dream for me. He sent a
Franciscan friar to my religious study class to talk about St. Francis and the
beauty of priesthood. I went to a come and see program and I was attracted by
the Franciscan community life, the way they prayed together, the way they did
manual work and seeing this, I said this is my nitche.
After my 10th grade, I
left my family and joined Franciscan life. My father wasn't happy in the
beginning but later he started loving my life. I remember my first travel to
the seminary, the bus I was traveling met with an accident and the bus run in
to 6 feet deep muddy and dirty water. I tried to get up from the water to take my
breath. I knew someone was on me. I felt that I was going to die, I said God, God
I am coming to your home. Suddenly the man or woman who was on me moved
away. I somehow got out of the bus through a window and took my first breath. But
the strange thing is that I didn't return home, I was so decided to peruse God's
dream for me which by that time had become my dream. Mud and water came from my
nostrils for two days.
Now looking back, I
have been a Franciscan priest for fifteen years. Never regretted. I helped so
many people, saved people from ending their lives, saved families from braking
up, spirituality directed many souls, forgave the sins and could do many things
just because my call as priest.
Blaga Dimitrova, one of my
favorite poetess wrote: Nameless are the ones who have given their future
–without them I’d lost all confidence in the future.
Dear brothers and
sisters, the church is made of people who have sacrificed and dedicated their
lives. We have to encourage vocations. I am so sad to see aging priests and
Friars in this part of the world. We need more people to dedicate their lives
for God. Let my story inspire someone in this room and let me encourage you to
continue to pray for the young person you thought of.
Coming to today's
gospel Jesus is using the metaphor of sheep to talk about us. He says, my
sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish.
Sheep is the most
vulnerable livestock. We cannot train a sheep, that’s why no sheep is an
item in the circus. Sheep is a very filthy animal. Enemy can easily
conquer a sheep. Sheep eats everything even dangerous plants and
food, they are near sighted creatures. Sheep is very timid and terrified
animal. Can't even drink water
from running stream that’s why shepherd leads them to still waters. They
need constant attention.
Hearing all these, is
our human nature is comparable to sheep? No way! Then why Jesus is comparing us with sheep?
Jesus uses the
metaphor of sheep and shepherd because, He knows spiritual nature. With our instinct,
our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, and our rebellious
nature, we’re very similar to sheep. In our spiritual journey, we feel we are
repeating the same sins over and over again, we make imprudent decisions, we
feel that we cannot discipline our lives, evil is easily attacking us, we eat
everything like a sheep, even some things dangerous to our spiritual life, we
tend to escape from the watch or eye of God. Yes, we are like a sheep in our
spiritual journey. This is why we need Jesus in our lives as good
shepherd.
That’s why David, who was a shepherd himself sings, "THE
LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green
pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me
in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your
rod and Your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:1-4)
Yes, Jesus is our shepherd who guides us on right path. We need his constant
protection and care to grow in our spiritual life. If we follow the Good Shepherd, we can be
assured that He will always lead us in the right path, he will help us to make
right decision, he will protect us from evil. Our enemy may walk about as a
roaring lion looking for victims to devour but if we have Jesus with us we will
be protected. Yes, let us hold on to our
good shepherd who has promised us salvation. Jesus says, I give them eternal
life, and they shall never perish.
Let us sing in our
hearts,
Shepherd me O God, beyond
my wants, beyond my fears, from death in to life.
Fr. John Pozhathuparambil OFM Conv.
