“See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called children of God. Yet so we are” (1 John 3:1).

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday, or the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. As the readings this Sunday point out to us, as they do throughout the Easter season, we are called to think about what the Easter message means to us and how we are going to respond to this news.

St. Peter, our parish patron, summarizes the Easter message in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. Asked by the leaders of the Jewish people by what power he had healed a crippled man, Peter responds that it was in the “name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name” (Acts 4: 10), that he had acted. As a result of God’s saving action in Christ, Peter makes the bold proclamation that summarizes our Christian faith: “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved” ((Acts 4: 12). Jesus’ authority rests in the fact that no one else can raise us from the dead.

God’s love for us is so profound that not only does He offer us salvation in the name of His Son, but as John tells us, He makes us, calls us to be, His children. John writes: “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called children of God. Yet so we are” (1 John 3: 1). By His life, death and resurrection, Jesus invites us through baptism to be God’s family, who are to call upon God as our Father in prayer. Through baptism, we are made members of God’s family—the Church. John also alludes to the fact that as members of God’s family, the Church, you and I shall be like God, sharing eternal life. By sharing in God’s life today, we shall be invited to share in His life for all eternity. John writes: “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as He is” (1 John 3: 2). No other god has ever called people His children and invited them to become like Him and share in His life for all eternity.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, known as the Gospel of the Good Shepherd, we are told of the extent to which Jesus will go to save us. Sent by the Father, Jesus has come to save us and bring us back to the Father. The Gospel makes it clear that in coming to save us, because He is doing the work of the Father, He also has the power to bring us back to life through the power of the resurrection. Moreover, as scripture tells us, it is by the resurrection that Jesus has the power to make us children of the Father, who are also called to share eternal life with Him. By His death and resurrection, Jesus invites us to become, through baptism, members of God’s family, the Church, who are invited to life eternal.

As Jesus speaks of what the Good Shepherd will do to save His people, He also gives us some important information about how those who are to be saved must respond. He states: “and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:16). On this Vocation Sunday, we are all reminded that in order to be saved, we must respond to Christ’s call and be members of His Church.

Most Christians love to hear that we are all called to be God’s children who are invited to share eternal life. However, less popular is Christ’s message that we are called to be members of God’s people, the flock of the Church, where we are called to listen to His voice. I think most Christians like to consider themselves an only child of God, with a “Jesus and me” attitude, in which they expect Jesus to be the one who does the listening. The Gospel of the Good Shepherd reminds us that we are all called to be members of a community of the saved who follow Christ together. In fact, the emphasis in the readings during the Easter season is on the call given to all Christians to respond to the Easter mysteries of our salvation by living our life within the Church on earth in order to become members of the Church in Heaven. To be a baptized Christian means to respond to God’s love within the Church. We are all of us called to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow as members of His flock, the Church.

As I have mentioned before, the word “vocation” comes from the Latin word “vocare,” which means “to call.” Every baptized Christian is called to respond to God’s love by embracing his or her vocation. For the majority of God’s people this vocation is either the single or married life. Those called to marriage or the single life, are also called to live their vocation in response to baptism within the Church. The married or single person is called to participate in the life of the Church and to support the Church through discipleship, which is also sometimes called “Stewardship.” This is done by sharing one’s time, treasure and talent to build up the Church community. Every Christian has a responsibility to support the Church by actively participating in its life and by offering financial support. Each person also ought to keep in mind the primary responsibilities of his or her vocation. A person who becomes a workaholic and never spends time with his or her children is not being faithful to his or her vocation as a parent. Listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd also requires that baptized persons inform themselves about the Church’s teachings and allow these teachings to guide the decisions that they make in life.

While the majority of the baptized are called to the married or single life, some are called to the religious life, priesthood or permanent diaconate. As members of the Church, we all ought to pray for vocations and encourage young people to discern their vocations and futures within the context of a response to God’s love for them. Whether their vocation is to the single life, marriage, religious life, the priesthood, consecrated life or the diaconate, all of the options should be presented as healthy ways to serve the Lord. Sadly, today most people are simply encouraged to avoid any commitments at all. Marriage must be encouraged as a life-giving option, as should service to the community as a single person. Religious and consecrated life, or the priesthood, should also be presented to young people as alternatives to be considered. When young people do respond positively to such options, or express interest, they should be encouraged and prayed for by the community. Bishop Matthew Ustrzycki, the retired auxiliary bishop of Hamilton, used to say that the problem today is not that God has stopped calling people, but that people have stopped listening to God. I think that one of the reasons that people have stopped listening to God’s voice is that there are so many other voices in society that discourage commitment and service to others. Everyone is being encouraged to be selfish and self-centered.

Our own parish community has been blessed by a wealth of vocations. In addition to many committed single and married people who generously respond to God’s call, there are also many religious and ordained within our community. There are several religious sisters in training who attend Mass in our community. Many of the Jesuit theologians assist in different ways in our community, and a candidate from our own community—Gabriel Nackonechny—is discerning his vocation at St. Augustine’s Seminary. Today, I would like to share with you a number of important vocational events that will be celebrated in our community in the coming months:

• On Sunday, May 5, Sister Kristine Fernandes, CSJ (Sisters of St. Joseph), will make her solemn religious vows here at St. Peter’s at the 11: 15 am Mass.
• On the weekend of May 25-26, four of the Jesuits who assist here- Jim, Peter, Antoni and Joao will be ordained as transitional deacons as they prepare to be ordained priests. Fr. Dan Kennedy will return to share in that occasion and preach here at the Masses.
• On the weekend of June 15-16, Deacons Brook Stacey and Matthew Hendzel will be ordained priests. Deacon Brook will celebrate his Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, June 16 at 11: 15 am and Deacon Matthew Hendzel will celebrate his at the 9:00 am Mass that same Sunday.

These beautiful events will remind all of us that as a result of our baptisms, we are called to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and respond to it within the communion of His Church.

Please pray for vocations on this Good Shepherd—Vocation Sunday.

Fr. Michael McGourty
Pastor, St. Peter’s Church—Toronto

This reflection is based on the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter- Year B: Acts 4: 8-12; Psalm 118; 1 John 3:1-2; and John 10: 11-18.