From The Bishop

On this Fourth Sunday of Easter is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. The Church, in her wisdom, asks us to focus on the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd. In the Gospel of this Sunday (John 10:27-30), he states that the shepherd knows the sheep; they hear his voice and follow him. Jesus gives the sheep eternal life and they shall never perish. Clearly, the role of the shepherd is to lead the sheep by engagement rather than detachment. This also seems to be what Pope Francis is saying in his recent Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”). There have been many commentaries offered about this document and they are wide ranging. At one extreme you will find those who say that the Holy Father has either changed or undermined Church doctrine; at the other extreme are those that say he has not done enough to change doctrine and pastoral practice. As always, the truth can be found somewhere in the middle. The two-hundred and fifty-five page document offers some beautiful insights regarding marriage and family life. Some commentators refer to ambiguity in the document regarding the reception of Holy Communion for the divorced and remarried. This issue seemed to be of particular interest to the media during both synods and the period leading up to “The Joy of Love”. You will not find a statement in this document that contradicts the traditional teaching of the Church on this matter. Pope Francis proposes a way that is pastoral and written in a language of “accompaniment”. Here we find the connection to this Sunday’s Gospel. A pastor, who is a shepherd, is called to be engaged with his sheep and accompany them on the journey and lead them to eternal life. This is especially true of those who find themselves in irregular situations. We walk patiently with them offering mercy and leading them to repentance and conversion. This takes time and effort and should never be done at the expense of truth. Shepherds should not compromise the teachings of Christ and His Church in the name of mercy because this would not lead to eternal life. On this World Day of Prayer for Vocations we are presented with an image of a shepherd. “The Joy of Love” calls that shepherd to engagement, love, mercy and truth. Let us pray that many will respond with generous hearts.