Good Shepherd Sunday – a time for us to think and reflect first on Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the sinless one, who laid down his life for us. This is a beautiful image and one that, even as we are generally unfamiliar with the peculiarities of the lives of shepherds, does nonetheless offer us a very serene and gentle image of Jesus.
At the same time we also reflect on our shepherds. Our Bishop, David O’Connell, stands in a long line of the successors of the apostles who serve the church throughout the world. While only the tenth Bishop of Trenton, Bishop O’Connell stands among the countless tens of thousands of priests who have been called forth to shepherd the people of God. Of course, we also think today of the tremendous burden borne by the 265th successor to one particular apostle, St. Peter, as seen in the person of Pope Francis. At 84 years of age, and carrying the weight of a church of some 1.5 billion believers, Francis needs the steadfastness of our prayers for his health, his wisdom, and his guidance as he carries this cross. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI recently turned 94 years of age, making him the longest living successor to Peter in history. He is the first pope since 1294 to resign the papal office, when Celestine V did so, though he died less than two years later.
In the modern world, with all of the challenges that confront the church – both from within and without each day – these bishops (and indeed all priests, deacons, and religious) are in need of our support and our prayers. It is a difficult path to walk - being both faithful to the Gospel and navigating the world and its demands at the same time.
This week we observe the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) whose powerful influence on Pope Gregory XI brought an end to a dark period in the history of the papacy and the entire church of the High Middle Ages. We pray for her intercession to guide and direct the church today to overcome the challenges and difficulties of the present.
The school continues to bring forth good news and there will be much more on that coming soon. As a Catholic school geared up for growth and not retraction, we are unique among our peers nationally, and even in many of the sectors of our own diocese. Yet, we are prayerfully hopeful and enthusiastic about the future.
Likewise, the continued growth of the parish is itself a blessing. We are hoping that soon we will be able to return to a more normal schedule, not only of liturgical celebrations, but of those important moments of faith formation that we have missed along the way. We have celebrated many First Communions already and there are many more yet to come. Just this week we realized that there are fifty baptisms currently in the works for the rest of the spring and the early summer. The spring wedding season is well underway, as we had two this past week and a few more coming in short order.
Just recently here we were reflecting on when we might be able to return to offering the Children’s Liturgy of the Word on Sunday morning, or when perhaps we might add the fourth Mass on Sunday, or have the regular Saturday afternoon Confession time. Each time I think of it the same response comes forth – soon, but not this week. Hopefully the summer brings about opportunities for expansion, and an expansion that does not need to shrink again as winter approaches.
It might seem difficult to believe that it is already the last week of April. The spring seems to be flying by. While the April weather has been – well, all so Aprilish – the signs of spring are all around us. Let us rejoice at the signs of spring and new life all around us – for the Lord is truly risen!