World Day of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life

Sunday 13 th April 2008

Liturgy Notes

Introduction to Mass

Today we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Easter, also known as ‘Good Shepherd Sunday' because each year, on this particular Sunday, we hear the passage in John's Gospel where Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd.

During the Easter season we should particularly reflect on the meaning and significance of our baptism. We are cleansed of original sin; we become members of God's family and we are also given a mission as members of the Body of Christ. As individual members of that Body, we each have a unique and distinctive role to play as we live out our particular vocations.

Today is also the annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life and we are invited to join the universal Church in praying that many will respond to the Lord calling them to these vocations in imitation of the Good Shepherd. May God strengthen all those he calls to priesthood or consecrated life and fill them with a generous spirit to respond in love and service of his people.

Penitential Rite

Lord Jesus, you are the eternal priest, who offered your life on the altar of the cross for the salvation of all. Lord have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you nourish your sheep through word and sacrament. Christ have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd who leads us to everlasting life. Lord have mercy.

Or

Lord Jesus you call us to be your faithful people, bearing witness to you in our daily lives. Lord have mercy.

Lord Jesus, are the Way, the Truth and the Life. Christ have mercy.

Lord Jesus you give to the Church various gifts and vocations to further the work of the kingdom. Lord have mercy.

Today's Readings

First Reading (Acts 2:14, 36-41)

Filled with the Holy Spirit, the Eleven leave the upper room and begin proclaiming the risen Christ with new-found confidence. Like John the Baptist and Jesus, Peter's first words include the call to repentance. However, unlike John's baptism, the baptism the apostles offer is in Christ's name for the forgiveness of sins. John's prophecy regarding the One who comes baptising with the Holy Spirit and fire is fulfilled.

Second Reading (1 Peter 2:20-25)

Our attention is drawn to Christ's acceptance of his death. Although in the garden he prayed ‘Take this cup away from me' he added, ‘but let it be as you, not I, would have it.' When Jesus appeared before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, despite being under great pressure, his calm and non-aggressive attitude was evident; all four evangelists attest to this. Christ takes on himself the faults of all humanity and through his suffering comes our healing.

Gospel (John 10:1-10)

Jesus uses the metaphors of shepherd and gate to illustrate his caring love. The sheep are not forced through the gate or tied on a leash; rather they willingly and freely choose to follow the shepherd because they know and trust his voice. By following a good shepherd, the sheep are kept safe from the dangers that threaten them. The only way in and out of the sheepfold is through the gate. The sheep may come and go as they please to find pasture. Jesus is the only gate to fullness of life.

Homily Notes

The theme of the Holy Father's letter for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations this year is that of ‘Vocations to the service of the Church-mission'. It especially focuses on the link that exists between vocation and evangelization.

We can see how these two themes come together in classic depictions of the Annunciation where Mary both accepts her vocation and is the first to hear the Good News. In the Eastern Church, the Annunciation is also sometimes referred to as the Evangelization of Mary.

The Holy Father tells us in his letter ‘Christian communities which live the missionary dimension of the mystery of the Church, will never be inward looking.' There is a similar message in today's Gospel where the Good Shepherd is one who not only protects the sheep, but also leads them out of the sheepfold through the gate. At Pentecost, as the Church began its mission, it was necessary for the apostles to leave the safety of the upper room and go out onto the streets.

‘The Church is missionary as a whole and in each one of its members' (Pope's Letter). The whole People of God is called to witness to, and announce the Gospel, but priests and consecrated religious have a particular role to play. God has always entrusted certain individuals with a specific vocation to serve, lead and nourish the larger community. Moses was chosen with the specific task of shepherding God's people out of Egypt . At times the people complained against him, even to the extent of saying that slavery was more comfortable than freedom (Exodus 15:24, 16:2-3).

Sometimes the sheepfold can seem comfortable; after all there are fewer risks there. In life we all have our own sheepfolds or ‘comfort zones' where we feel safe and perhaps like to be. The role of the shepherd is not only to take the sheep into the safety of the sheepfold, but also to lead, coax or invite them back out again. This dynamic might also be said to be present in the life of the Church, and be especially relevant to parish life. Two of the great documents of the Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes, give us, respectively, a Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, and an outward-looking Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.

If the priestly, prophetic and kingly roles of all the baptised is ordered towards the proclamation of the gospel and the sanctification of daily life, then the role of the ordained priest can be understood as being like the shepherd who calls them into the sheepfold and then leads them out again. After having received nourishment through word and sacrament, the Mass ends with the instruction ‘Ite, missa est.' or its vernacular counterparts. Whichever is used, the message is the same, with the use of the imperative: ‘Go!' This can be understood as a mandate for mission; with it goes the invitation to step out from the sheepfold in faith.

Perhaps at times the individual sheep of the flock seem unimportant or just part of a big group. And perhaps there are times when we feel that as members of the Church we are just one more sheep in a big flock. But that is not the image we are presented with in today's gospel reading. The Good Shepherd knows his sheep, each one of them. Jesus says in the reading: ‘..The sheep hear his voice. One by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out.' That is the reality of our individual vocations – we are called by name, one by one, and led out.

Jesus also identifies himself as the gate, (rather than the gatekeeper). Many cities used to be surrounded by walls, and the gates were locked at night for protection as the first, and often only, line of defence . Town or city gates therefore had a special place in the consciousness of those that they protected. Every night the important ‘Ceremony of the Keys' takes place at the Tower of London as the gates are locked for the night.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter says to the man who begs at the Beautiful Gate, ‘I have neither silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus the Nazarene, walk!' (Acts 3:6). This conforms to the command of Christ to the Twelve ‘You received without charge, give without charge. Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with a few coppers for your purses... .' (Matthew 10:9).

Over the centuries, many of those have been missionaries have followed in a similar way. They have travelled the world in a spirit of poverty. Having few material possessions with them, like Peter, they have only been able to offer the person of Christ. They have borne witness to the love of God by what they have said with their lips, how they have conducted themselves and what they have done with their hands in service of neighbour. Like Jesus, they have given themselves. The shepherd, like a solider or one who makes a journey on foot, has to travel light. The knack of being a good shepherd is to give oneself – the sheep follow because they know him and hear his voice.

What we now call ‘parishes' in England and Wales were formerly known as ‘missions'. Although parish suggests a more permanent or settled structure, and possibly brings with it a different mindset, its etymology points in the opposite direction. The Hellenistic Greek term pa?????a originally meant ‘sojourn in a foreign land' or ‘community of sojourners'. It is a reminder that we are a pilgrim people with an eternal destiny. The sheepfold of the Church on earth is not our only home - heaven is too.

The ‘Fullness of life' that Jesus speaks of in the Gospel today parallels this. Fullness of life is essentially vocational; it is about becoming more fully human through responding to God's call in our lives. However, although we may aim to make the world a better place so that all people can achieve their potential as human beings, Fullness of life must also look to the next life. A Fullness of life which focuses only on earthly existence can lead to hedonism, materialism and individualism as it lacks true perspective. Such an attitude is also antivocational* in nature as it debilitates a true perception of self, God, the meaning of life and ultimate destiny (see Pastores Dabo Vobis section 7, and In Verbo Tuo section 11).

The quote from Pope Benedict on this year's poster is an extract from a homily given during the visit to his native Germany in 2006. Reflecting on the text of Matthew 9:37-38, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest.', the Pope points out that if we knock on God's door with this petition in prayer, then with the same petition, God is reciprocally knocking on the doors of our own hearts.

* This word is used in the document New Vocations for a New Europe

Prayers of the Faithful (note to Printer – these should be on a whole page)

Celebrant   We now turn to the Father in prayer, confident that he will hear us and will respond in love.

Reader   For the Shepherds of the Church. We pray that the Pope, our bishop, the priests and deacons of our diocese will be strengthened in their ministry and be ever more faithful witnesses to Christ Jesus. Lord hear us.

We pray for our Church community, that we may understand the richness of our baptism and be a people ready to respond with generosity to the call of God in our lives. Lord hear us.

We ask the Lord to guide young people as they make important choices in their lives. We also especially pray for parents, teachers and all those who work with young people. Lord hear us.

We pray for young men and women who feel called to give their lives in dedicated service to God and the Church. We ask that they will be guided in their discernment. Lord hear us.

For those in formation to be priests, deacons or consecrated religious. We pray that they may have the courage to accept the call of God and persevere in their journey. Lord hear us …

We pray for all those who have died recently and for those who mourn them:

We remember all those in the ordained ministry who served this community over the years and who have died. We also remember all the deceased bishops, priests, deacons and consecrated religious of our diocese. May they rest in peace. Lord hear us…

We ask Mary, mother of Christ our Good Shepherd to pray for us as we say:

Hail Mary …

     [pause]

Celebrant    Father, teach us to follow Christ your Son more faithfully. By listening to his voice may we become a community more attuned to your call in our lives. We ask you to hear the prayers we make to you today and to grant them through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.