How can we love one another in the parish family if we don’t give ourselves...

Fourth Sunday in Easter-"Good Shepherd Sunday." May 15th, 2011

Today is commonly called Good Shepherd Sunday, since all the readings, antiphons, and the alleluia verse have a pastoral theme. In fact, the word “shepherd” or “sheep” appears in all the readings and verses except the first reading. In the first reading, though not mentioned, they are however implied, because Peter and the Apostles were the first shepherds of the sheep chosen and led by the Chief Shepherd Himself, Jesus the Good shepherd.

By the way, our English word “pastoral” comes from the Latin by the way of an Old English word which has to do with the task of leading, safeguarding and nourishing flocks, especially flocks of sheep. And so early in Christianity, “pastoral” was applied to the priestly work of bishops and priests chosen by Christ to be our visible and audible shepherds and so the visible sign of His presence and His audible voice. This is why scripture uses this concept of shepherding so evident in today’s readings…Jesus is the good Shepherd but He continues His work of shepherding the sheep of His flock, the Catholic Church by and through bishops and priests who are in union with the visible Chief Shepherd the Holy Father, the Pope.

The word “pastoral” is also related to the word “Parish” which is also a Latin derivative, through it reflects the Greek. The original meaning of “parish” interestingly, is “alongside one’s house.” The parish is our home alongside our earthly homes. In fact, it is really where we can encounter our true home, heaven, alongside our earthly homes; and so, it is even more deeply our home and our family. This is why the early Christians viewed themselves as strangers passing toward their true home, heaven; heaven which is reflected in a unit of the Church in miniature, namely the parish. This means that the institution of the parish is at least 1500 years old, its structure dating from the emergence of the Church from the catacombs during the early fourth century.

A parish is truly a spiritual sheepfold wherein the work of the Good Shepherd is carried out by an ordained priest who acts in the authority and in the name, and so in the Divine Power of the Good Shepherd. The faithful and the active sheep of the parish are called to assist the priest, so he can faithfully share in the work of the Good Shepherd. If the shepherd and the sheep are faithful to the voice of the Good Shepherd, shown by their faithfulness to the Chief shepherds on Earth, the Holy Father and the bishops in union with him, then by its nature, the parish reflects all dimensions of Jesus’ loving care for us.

Thus, it is in a parish, our parish, that Jesus says, as He does in today’s Gospel, “I know my sheep….” And “ mine know me…” For it is in a parish church, such as this, that we gather every Sunday as a whole, as a family, and diligently listen to His voice in the readings. And then listen to the readings explained in the teachings of the Church expounded in the homily.

And so it is here in our parish family where we allow Jesus to “know us” which really means to love us. And in His love He feeds
us by His word; and gives us, by His word become flesh, the Holy Eucharist which is the source of all grace and love because it is Him, Jesus, the Good Shepherd in Person in his Risen Body and Blood. Known by His love, we then come to know and so love the Good Shepherd in return.

By the Holy Eucharist, if we participate with faith, and so with full, active, conscious participation, we can actually enter into a Holy Communion of Love with the Good Shepherd, thus being filled with His love and life, with His very being, in order to be shepherded and come to bear good fruit, the fruit of love. In our lives we can then share this fruit of God’s love, life and Communion with others, helping one another in the parish get to heaven, and helping even those not of our flock get to heaven. As Christ’s flock, as His family, we are truly called to be a “Family of families helping one another get to heaven!”

It is here in our parish church that we first enter Christ’s sheepfold, through the spiritual rebirth of the waters of baptism. Here we achieve maturity in faith, through Confirmation and so through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is here that we come as prodigal children when we suffer an illness of soul cause by our sin so that we may experience God’s loving mercy, His forgiveness and healing. Here marriage vows are taken. It is from here that the oils of the Last Anointing are brought to the seriously ill in order that they may be healed, primarily spiritually; and if it be God’s Holy Will, even healed physically as I have myself witnessed on occasion.

Today’s second Reading recalls that through we were once scattered, we are now one in Christ. We are now gathered into this parish; in other words, it is Christ the Good Shepherd who has gathered us as one flock, as one family. Here as well we are connected to the larger flock of Christ, as found in the Diocesan family and the family of the Universal Church. Here at this parish, in this flock, the portion of Christ’s larger flock in the world, we encounter the life of which today’s Gospel speaks; here we can receive this life if we open ourselves to it in faith and love.

To bring all this down to a very concrete level, three basic expectations can be assigned by the Good Shepherd to each member of a parish flock. They are: 1. Registration; 2 involvement, and 3. Support, which includes both spiritual and financial support. Too, there should be concern for outreach; a thrust beyond parish limits that can be implemented by social service such as through St. Vincent de Paul, and a thrust for social services by ecumenical activity and education programs.

One Archbishop said that, “The real purpose of parish is, in fact, to develop saints who praise God together, who as a community, who as a family, carry out the two great Commandments…” And what are the two great Commandments? First and foremost is the Adoration of our God, which means to love Him with our whole heart, and with our whole soul, and with our whole mind, not only as individuals but together as a family. And the second springs from the first and is like it; because of this love of God we must then love our neighbor as ourselves.

These two Commandments are carried our principally through Holy Mass and our presence and active participation in it. It is here that we encounter the Good Shepherd, as we can nowhere else; and through this encounter here we can enter into a loving intimate encounter with our Heavenly Father. And so it is here that through our encounter with God, our Communion with God, we can then enter into a Communion of love with one another, a loving communion which has it’s source in the Communion of Love of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

It is only through this encounter, brought about by encountering, listening to and following the Good Shepherd, that we can have life and have it more abundantly and share that abundant life with our world. It is through the Holy Mass and our Communion with Good Shepherd and through Him with the Father in the Communion of love of the Holy Spirit that we follow the spirit of the first generations of Christian and all the other faithful Christians up until our own time. In our parish we and they are one, in the Oneness of the Most Blessed Trinity.

This oneness in the God who is three in One, and the God who is Love, allows us and empowers us to love one another. Again, this love of one another begins first and foremost in our parish family, for Charity begins at home. Love is shown by deeds. Full, active and conscious participation in the Sacred Liturgy must, MUST be followed by full, active and conscious participation in our Parish family life. This is not an option in our Catholic faith or in our efforts to “love one another.”
Somewhere along the lines of the past decades came the erroneous idea that to be a faithful Catholic all one had to do was to show up for Holy Mass. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, we must celebrate the Holy Mass, but then we must live the Holy Mass, giving of ourselves for the love of the other; and this begins right here in St. Patrick’s parish family.

But, how can we love one another in the parish family if we don’t give ourselves, if we never volunteer, if we never give of our time, talent and treasure to support the parish family, if we never participate in our parish family’s life out side of Holy Mass?
The fact is, is that it is an active parish life that helps us to love one another in our individual families and in our community. Our world will only be transformed when our parish families are renewed. And or parish family will never be renewed until more and more families and family members of the parish family revolve their lives around the Good Shepherd truly present in the Holy Eucharist. And from that source of Divine Love and Mercy, revolve their lives around the parish family’s life.

Our parish family of St. Patrick’s is a piece of heaven on earth because here is Jesus the Good Shepherd in the tabernacle and on the Altar at Holy Mass and Holy Hours of adoration. Where Jesus is there is heaven because there is love and so there is the God who is Love!!! The Eucharist is the Good Shepherd and so it is only through Belief, adoration, trust and love of the Holy Eucharist that we enter into the flock of the Good Shepherd.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Mother of our parish family, pray for us sinners, help us all to grow closer in love to your Son, the Good Shepherd, truly present in the Holy Eucharist, the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.