Throughout the whole Church today, we celebrate the 4^th Sunday of Easter. This is also known as “Good Shepherd Sunday”, because in the Gospel, Jesus presents himself to us as the Good Shepherd who cares for his flock, who knows each of his lambs by name, who protects them from danger, who gives them “abundant life.” 

The Good Shepherd issues to each of us an invitation to find our home in the Father’s love, to experience the joy God desires for each of us, to embrace God’s call to friendship with one another, and to discover the fruitfulness that comes from a living relationship with God in Jesus.

Today is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.  Each one of us has received a special calling from God, a personal vocation.  We often think of that in terms of a job to do, a task to accomplish, or a state of life to which we commit ourselves.  But even more fundamentally, Jesus calls each of us by our name.  He knows each of us personally, uniquely; he delights in us and invites us to share in his gift of abundant life. This is why we find our vocation at that place “where our deep gladness meets the deep needs of the world around us.”  He calls us by our name so that we can go out and make a difference in the world.

In his message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations this year, Pope Francis tells us:

“We need not be afraid: God follows the work of his hands with passion and skill in every phase of life. He never abandons us!  Jesus has the fulfilment of his plan for us at heart, and yet he wishes to achieve it always with our consent and cooperation.

Today too, Jesus lives and walks along the paths of ordinary life in order to draw near to everyone, beginning with the least, and to heal us of our infirmities and illnesses. I turn to those who are well disposed, who desire to listen to the voice of Christ that rings out in the Church, and to understand what their own vocation is. I invite you to listen to and follow Jesus, and to allow yourselves to be transformed interiorly by his words, which “are spirit and life”.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother too, says to us: “Do whatever he tells you.”  To truly know our vocation, it is helpful to participate in a communal journey, one that is able to release the best energies in you and around you. A vocation is a fruit that ripens in a well-cultivated field of mutual love that becomes mutual service, in the context of an authentic ecclesial life. No vocation is born of itself or lives for itself. A vocation flows from the heart of God and blossoms in the good soil of faithful people, in the experience of fraternal love.  Did not Jesus say: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35)?

Once again, we hear Pope Francis clearly echo the teaching of Jesus, the message we receive through the church. Although there are many different ways of experiencing the One God, many ways of living out our call to be part of the Body of Christ, all of these, in the end, are connected to LOVE.  GOD IS LOVE.  In those three simple words, we have the heart of the message of the Bible, the mystery of our personal and communal vocation.

Last week, at our final Faith-CAFÉ of the season, Theresa Murphy gave us some tools to help us access the gift of abundant life which lies deep within us, to address the obstacles and patterns of negativity that get in the way of our living our true vocations. She encouraged us to leave behind the vicious cycle of fears and worries, of unhealed angers and disappointments that leave us feeling “stuck” and frustrated, and invited us to access other levels of energy: those connected to forgiveness and compassion, to concern and gratitude, to peace and acceptance, to joy and wisdom, and ultimately, to the self-actualization which is the fruit of unconditional and infinite Love.  It was a beautiful experience of being gently empowered to confront our fears and to embrace our invitation to “abundant life”.  This is our vocation!

How is God finding his way into your heart? How are you living his call to abundant life?  What new levels of energy are you being called to access?  After this long winter, many of us are rejoicing in the coming of spring.  We are reminded of a God who is the source of life and beauty, whose generosity overflows onto his creation, who is at work in and through us.  We so easily take all this for granted. 

One way of rooting and deepening our vocation is to carve out a little bit of quiet space each day: to meditate on God’s word, to thank him for our daily blessings, to re-connect with Creation, to ask for his strength in our daily needs.  In this way, we remain connected to Jesus: we are branches drawing life from the vine.  

Today is also Mothers’ Day. I’d like to share with you some words written by Anna, our pastoral associate, on the vocation of motherhood:

“It is a mother’s faith in God that keeps her “Yes” alive.  Loving and nurturing her children through the daily ups and downs of life is a challenge, but she finds the time and the ways to show them that she is their “home”, and that she loves them no matter what.  She listens to, encourages, laughs with, teaches, rejoices with, rebukes, cries with, holds, worries about, cautions, and prays for them because they are her greatest treasure. She sacrifices her sleep, her time and her personal ambitions in order to steward and accompany them.  Her encounters with Christ in the different circumstances of her children’s lives are opportunities for her to grow in love and in faith with her children.  These encounters prepare her to let go of her children, knowing that she has modeled the journey for them, and trusting that the Risen Christ will walk with them and reveal Himself to them in their time of need.”

On this Mother’s Day let us be thankful for Mary’s model of the motherhood of God and call upon her motherly intercession.  Let us be thankful for the gift of our mothers: those still living and those who are resting in the arms of God, for their faith journey. Let us remember in gratitude our grandmothers, aunts, teachers, religious sisters, and other women who through their work, ministry, or community service have lovingly touched our lives.  May they know how loved and cherished they are.  Happy Mother’s Day!”