Good Shepherd Sunday (Year B)
“The World Day Prayer for Vocation”
May 6-7, 2006 Holy Child’s Parish, Meadow Heights
Today, the fourth Sunday of Easter is called Good Shepherd Sunday or also known as “The World Day Prayer for Vocation.” There are many different vocations we can follow God in holiness – marriage, religious life, priesthood, lay apostolate or single blessedness. But today the Church is urging us, together with all the faithful believers around the world, to pray particularly for the increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
We need to pray for new shepherds and pastors who will preach the Word of God, who will administer the sacraments and who will lead the communities in our time.
This is why on this occasion, the bishop (as he does everyday) asks all of us in the seminary in Carlton, except the first year students, to share our vocation story in all Masses this weekend in different parishes in Melbourne and Bendigo. The bishop and priests in the seminary are hoping and praying that we will encourage young people (and also those young at hearts) to listen carefully to the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and to respond generously to his calling.
I think I’ve mentioned already in one of my homilies here how I ended up studying for the priesthood. I can’t remember any dramatic moments in my life hearing the voice of God from heaven, “John Joel come follow me, I want you to become priest.” No, God didn’t call me that way.
When I was young I always wanted to become a soldier or an architect. I never desire to become priest because I knew a priest is not allowed get married. I could not imagine myself then growing old without a wife. And I thought it was impossible for me to become priest since I got easily attracted with beautiful girls in the school!
It was my grandmother who influenced me to follow this vocation. She was very prayerful and went to Mass everyday. Today actually is her birthday. God bless her soul. Also some of my friends in highschool were the ones who encouraged me to enter the seminary.
So Jesus called me in a very special way or should I say, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, seized me by the neck with his huge staff and led me straight to the seminary –- I was only 16 years old then and I felt like a small sheep needed to be kept safe inside the sheepfold.
I spent five years of my life inside the seminary. It was not easy leaving my family and my friends but years had gone very fast. I really enjoyed living in the seminary because there we played basketball everyday! You know if AFL is a religion in Australia, for many young Filipinos basketball is a way of life! But, in a deeper sense, I developed in the seminary a closer relationship with Jesus through the Eucharist and with the help of Mary.
To cut the long story short, I left my seminary in the Philippines and I decided to continue my training here in Australia. And, I’m here speaking before you, as now, an ordained deacon. And I am looking forward for my ordination to the priesthood this year. It’s been almost ten years since I responded God’s call, although it’s not always easy but I didn’t have any regret. In fact, I’m really grateful that despite my imperfections God wants me to be instrument of spreading his love to his people.
In his very first message for “The World Day Prayer for Vocations,” Pope Benedict says, “To respond to the call of God, and to set ourselves upon the way, it is not necessary to be perfect.” We are simply needed to recognise our need for Christ. “Our fragility and human limitations are not obstacles, provided that they contribute to making us always more conscious of the fact that we need the redeeming grace of Christ.”
This year, there are 30 seminarians and 5 deacons, including myself, at Corpus Christi College Seminary in Carlton. With your support and prayer, hopefully we will continue to increase in number.
Now, if there is anyone here who is interested or curious about the priesthood or if you are contemplating religious life. I encourage you to pray and ask for God’s help and blessing to give you strength and courage to respond faithfully to his calling. As I said, you don’t have to be perfect or 100 percent sure about it. If you have any questions or doubts please feel free to approach Fr. Joe, the sisters or myself after this Mass.
So, I ask you all, to please pray that many young people today will consider the vocations to the priesthood and religious life. As Pope Benedict says, “when people pray—vocation flourishes.”
And, as we continue this Mass, let us also remember that whether we are called to marriage, religious life, priesthood, lay apostolate or single blessedness. We all have the same invitation to imitate according to our state of life, our Lord, who loving professed himself today as: “the Good Shepherd…who lays down his life for his sheep.”
We need to pray for new shepherds and pastors who will preach the Word of God, who will administer the sacraments and who will lead the communities in our time.
This is why on this occasion, the bishop (as he does everyday) asks all of us in the seminary in Carlton, except the first year students, to share our vocation story in all Masses this weekend in different parishes in Melbourne and Bendigo. The bishop and priests in the seminary are hoping and praying that we will encourage young people (and also those young at hearts) to listen carefully to the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and to respond generously to his calling.
I think I’ve mentioned already in one of my homilies here how I ended up studying for the priesthood. I can’t remember any dramatic moments in my life hearing the voice of God from heaven, “John Joel come follow me, I want you to become priest.” No, God didn’t call me that way.
When I was young I always wanted to become a soldier or an architect. I never desire to become priest because I knew a priest is not allowed get married. I could not imagine myself then growing old without a wife. And I thought it was impossible for me to become priest since I got easily attracted with beautiful girls in the school!
It was my grandmother who influenced me to follow this vocation. She was very prayerful and went to Mass everyday. Today actually is her birthday. God bless her soul. Also some of my friends in highschool were the ones who encouraged me to enter the seminary.
So Jesus called me in a very special way or should I say, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, seized me by the neck with his huge staff and led me straight to the seminary –- I was only 16 years old then and I felt like a small sheep needed to be kept safe inside the sheepfold.
I spent five years of my life inside the seminary. It was not easy leaving my family and my friends but years had gone very fast. I really enjoyed living in the seminary because there we played basketball everyday! You know if AFL is a religion in Australia, for many young Filipinos basketball is a way of life! But, in a deeper sense, I developed in the seminary a closer relationship with Jesus through the Eucharist and with the help of Mary.
To cut the long story short, I left my seminary in the Philippines and I decided to continue my training here in Australia. And, I’m here speaking before you, as now, an ordained deacon. And I am looking forward for my ordination to the priesthood this year. It’s been almost ten years since I responded God’s call, although it’s not always easy but I didn’t have any regret. In fact, I’m really grateful that despite my imperfections God wants me to be instrument of spreading his love to his people.
In his very first message for “The World Day Prayer for Vocations,” Pope Benedict says, “To respond to the call of God, and to set ourselves upon the way, it is not necessary to be perfect.” We are simply needed to recognise our need for Christ. “Our fragility and human limitations are not obstacles, provided that they contribute to making us always more conscious of the fact that we need the redeeming grace of Christ.”
This year, there are 30 seminarians and 5 deacons, including myself, at Corpus Christi College Seminary in Carlton. With your support and prayer, hopefully we will continue to increase in number.
Now, if there is anyone here who is interested or curious about the priesthood or if you are contemplating religious life. I encourage you to pray and ask for God’s help and blessing to give you strength and courage to respond faithfully to his calling. As I said, you don’t have to be perfect or 100 percent sure about it. If you have any questions or doubts please feel free to approach Fr. Joe, the sisters or myself after this Mass.
So, I ask you all, to please pray that many young people today will consider the vocations to the priesthood and religious life. As Pope Benedict says, “when people pray—vocation flourishes.”
And, as we continue this Mass, let us also remember that whether we are called to marriage, religious life, priesthood, lay apostolate or single blessedness. We all have the same invitation to imitate according to our state of life, our Lord, who loving professed himself today as: “the Good Shepherd…who lays down his life for his sheep.”
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