EASTER IV [A] : Acts 2:14, 36-41; 1Pt 2:20-25; Jn 10:1-10 

The night before a camping trip one boy was staying at the home of another when suddenly he realized he forgot his fishing gear. "Let's run to my house and get it," he said.

"Isn't it too late?" asked his friend. "Everybody will be sleeping."

"We'll sneak in," said the first boy. "Come on."

When they got to his house all the doors were locked. He decided to pry the screen off his bedroom window and enter that way. He tried to be quiet, but the noise woke his parents. His dad grabbed a baseball bat and went to investigate. The boy had one leg in the window when his dad yelled, "Stop, or I'll hit you!"

The boy froze. "Don't! It's me, Dad!" he said.

His father flicked on a light. "Why didn't you ring the doorbell?" he said. "You didn't have to try and sneak in."

Many people are this way with heaven. They think they can sneak in by doing good, attending church, or by making profession of faith. But salvation is never up to us. It is only in and through and by Christ for He is the gate.

Jesus says: I am the gate for the sheep. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. Without going through Jesus no one is going to enter heaven. He is the only Way to the Father. We cannot get to the Father by our own strength. Even those who do not accept Jesus as the Savior will have to go through the same door. Because there is only one door and that is Jesus.

By identifying Himself with the sheep-gate, Jesus gives the assurance that whoever enters the pen through Him will be safe and well-cared-for. Jesus is the living Door to His Father’s house and Father’s family, the Door into the Father’s safety and into the fullness of life. It is through Jesus, the Door, that we come into the sheepfold where we are protected from the wolves of life. There is safety and security in being a Christian. There is a spiritual, emotional and psychological security and safety when we live within Jesus and his Church, within the protectiveness of Christ, Christian friends and a Christian family.

Today, the Church calls us to reflect on the meaning of God's call for each of us and to pray for vocations to the priesthood, the deaconate and the consecrated life because the entire Christian community shares the responsibility for fostering vocations.

Our parish and our society can foster vocations only if we have good Christian families, where Christian values are cherished. We can have vocations only if our young men and women are given a chance to understand and experience the fundamentals of Christian life. Hence, our young men and women should be encouraged to participate in activities of the parish, and they should be inspired to accept the invitation of Jesus to continue His work. Sometimes we don’t approve of all of what a priest does. And when the parents criticize that in the hearing of their children, they will never develop a liking for that way of life. Therefore it is important that even if we don’t like a priest or a religious we shall not criticize them in the hearing of our children. With ordination God does not give the power of infallibility to a priest or bishop or even to pope. The pope is infallible not from his personal sins, but from the promulgation of dogmas.  No miraculous power over sin is obtained by the clergy. God did not make a priest like an angel. Each priest completed his formation at home. When you point a finger to a priest it is a pointer to our own families.

Don't attend to a priest's personal worth but to his office. Therefore even if he is a flawed person when he is acting on behalf of the church the action is valid and effective. Even Peter the head of the church was a person who defected from his faith once.  Therefore believe that our Lord Jesus is present when invoked at the prayer of the priest.

On 19^th of this month there are two priestly ordinations in the diocese and both are from St.Augusta parish. A small parish, smaller than ours is contributing to the diocesan need for vocations.      

In a massive study conducted by the National Organization for Research at the University of Chicago, dozens of jobs and professions were ranked, by, which were the happiest and most satisfying fields. The study, the most comprehensive of its kind to explore satisfaction and happiness among American workers, found the #1 job with the highest levels of both happiness and satisfaction were religious vocations. 

The Top 5 Happiest and Most Satisfying Careers:

Clergy 

Firefighters 

Physical Therapists 

Authors 

Special Education Teachers

While to the secular culture this may come as a bit of a shock, for men and women who have answered a calling to a religious vocation, this is no surprise. No other calling offers the same great opportunities to live and work out of a person’s deepest convictions and share their passion for faith, compassion, and service. The religious life is not a life of loneliness and seclusion, but one of great joy, happiness, and fulfillment. 

No other lifestyle gives true freedom like one where you give your life to God completely. 

Parents need to encourage their children, including their teenagers and young adults, to participate actively in the children’s and youth activities in the parish. They also need to encourage and actively support them in becoming altar servers, gift-bearers, lectors and ministers of hospitality.  On this World Day of Prayer for Religious Vocations, let us begin, or continue, to pray and encourage for more vocations to priesthood, deaconate and religious vocations.