predication.net

Imagine this situation: you are sitting in a car or bus with faulty brakes. You are sitting waiting to die, and you don’t know it. If you knew it or suspected it, you would certainly do something to prevent it, forestall it. You wouldn’t have sat down and got into that vehicle until this serious fault of bad brakes had been corrected.

The lives of those who have refused to believe in Christ should be changed as soon as possible because they are just like those who get into a vehicle without brakes. The words of the Gospel warn us of this: ‘He who despises me and does not accept my words has his judge.’ (Jn 12:48).

Therefore, those who have lost faith or have not believed in Christ are critical because they do not realize how their eternal happiness is threatened. They need to understand that those who have refused to believe in Christ should seek to change their position. We see how many ways God is trying to show man how his life is threatened, not only here on earth, but especially his eternal life. Unbelief in Christ is also unbelief in God, and God wants to save all men.
St. Paul says that God created us without us, but only our help can save us. That is why He sent His Son to teach us everything we need to do to be saved. Jesus taught us two gifts that we must not overlook: that we have a reason, which makes us the pinnacle of all creation, and free will, which must cooperate with a defense even in the salvation of our souls.

But let us also note today that God allows trials to come upon us. Not to lose us, but to make us even more deserving of his love. That is why he sometimes blinds our eyes and hardens our hearts so that we can then touch the bottom of God’s grace. Therefore, let us rightly understand that the gift of God can also be such conditions in our lives:

Man is dissatisfied with himself when:
– he experiences disappointment
– he feels the sickness of his body or his neighbor
– experiencing the death of a loved one
– feels temptation of body and soul

God does not allow this to destroy man even more, or because He is not interested in His creation, but on the contrary. In our faith, we should rightly understand the words of the old Christian proverb: “Whom the Lord God loves, He visits with a cross.” We should realize this before any of the trials above of faith come upon us.

None of us can say that we have not yet encountered difficulties in our faith. We must realize that the Lord wants to test us again and again, on the one hand, and the other hand, that here on earth, we may serve out the penalties of the sins of unbelief which we have committed, or that by working on ourselves we may win a higher degree of glory for ourselves.

But let us also be aware that through our efforts, sufferings, and trials, through our example, He wants to win other brothers and sisters to His side. For more than one Christian’s right attitude towards God, when seen by indifferent and unbelieving people, prompts them to reflect and contemplate. How many people have found their way to Christ based on the well-lived life of a believing Christian!

Therefore, let us not accept the trials that the Lord sends upon us as a punishment, but as a grace that the Lord Jesus wants to cooperate with us and that He has chosen us from among many to complete in our own body what is still lacking in the body of Christ. This is how St. Paul mentions it in his letter.
We realize that not believing in God’s help, in His protection, or in His reward for all we do for the salvation of our souls and our neighbors would be a great insult and betrayal of the love of Jesus. Jesus did not love us only when He spoke of His passion and death. Jesus loved us even when He said: “It is finished” (Jn 19:30). This means for us today that when we genuinely take heart, we will see God in Jesus, and so we will pass from darkness to light, from death to life.

None of us wishes to sit in a car that has terrible brakes. We fear for our physical life. Therefore, let our attitude to faith also be more severe and more responsible so that we may not know one day the disappointment that could come very quickly, unforeseen.

We know that human, animal, and plant life is impossible without light. We know that light is a special force that can bring forth new life. We believers also know that our souls also need light; though invisible to our senses, light is the light of grace necessary for salvation.

In Jerusalem, the Feast of the Dedication of the Temple is also called the Feast of Light. In Solomon’s Sermon on the Mount, Jesus, when challenged by the Jews, declares himself the Anointed Messiah, saying, “I have already told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify of me, but you do not believe because you are not of my sheep….” (Jn 10:25).

We know that the apostle John wrote his gospel after the three Synoptics-evangelists because the personality of Christ was already then beginning to be attacked by the first terrorists. John wants to show with his Gospel that there is only one way to know the answer to the question: Who is Christ?

And we are to believe his works, and that is also the answer. His works are a sign that God is behind them, that he is working with Jesus, and bears witness to Christ as his Son through them. This is what the Jews were resisting, and therefore if anyone resists this, he will not be able to arrive at the truth. But whoever accepts the testimony of God in the works of the Lord Jesus, we can say that it is God the Father Himself who gives it to Jesus; that is, such a person hears the voice of the Lord Jesus, becomes His sheep, and thus receives from Him eternal life.

Jesus the Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep so that they can rely on him, and he testifies to this by saying, “… no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. the Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:29-30). This means that their salvation is assured. The most significant reason why believers who have come to know the Lord Jesus and have heard His voice follow Him and come to salvation is precisely that unity which exists between the Father and the Son, that is, unity in the divine essence: “The Father and I are one” (Jn 10:30). Just as the Father wants to save all men and therefore bears witness to Jesus and gives salvation through him to those who believe in him, the Lord Jesus provides salvation by choosing to accept the task of saving humanity and making this sacrifice of his life. Therefore, we assume that our salvation is in the hands of God, and no one can snatch us out of the hands of God.
We still must let it unfold in concrete life when we realize this. Jesus’s words: “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” (Jn 10:27), address the practical part of putting Jesus’ words into practice.

It is the keeping of the Beatitudes that Jesus said on the mountain. They are the examples he gave the apostles at the Last Supper and during his public appearances. And it is also the prayer that Jesus called all who would believe in him to through the apostles. This brings our lives alight before all doubts, fears, and insecurities will recede, albeit sometimes slowly.
“And everyone who leaves houses, brothers and sisters, or father and mother for my name’s sake” (Mt 19:29).
This is the way of light. We know that whoever encounters the light does not desire darkness because the light is better.

But we know that the first step is not enough. Even when weariness and other difficulties come in the spiritual life, let us remain in trust in the Good Shepherd. We know that He leaves 99 sheep on the mountain, goes after the one strayed one, and rejoices in its return. This is a fantastic thought that Jesus loves us more than we can often imagine. We are more likely to wave our hand over ourselves, put out the flickering wick, or quench the broken reed. But he is like the woman who, when she sweeps the house and finds a lost drachma, calls her friends, her neighbors, and they rejoice together.

This is the light that enriches. The kind father in the parable of the prodigal son is such a light. He overtakes his son and forgives him because he loves him so much—light triumphs over darkness. And Jesus does all this only because, as he says, he sees the Father doing it: “The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:30).
To be a good shepherd is not only a matter of the priest, but a good shepherd should also be a father, mother, superior, and brother to brother. Know how to say a good word. To understand how to accept this word, to put away even the sins of others: to agree with the sin of another, to help the sin of another, to stand up for the sin of another, not to punish the evil, and so on.

As we can hardly imagine a vegetative, animal life without light, may there be more and more light and grace in our spiritual life as well

Nowadays, we are accustomed to being reminded of some vocations that society needs, and there is a shortage of them. We celebrate the day of builders, rail workers, teachers, etc. Our Church throughout the world also commemorates one vocation: the priestly vocation. I ask everyone not to accept this reflection as praise, a preference for the priest, but we all realize the severe need, which can be expressed with the thought or motto: Lord, give us good priests! Let us turn these words into an even more sincere prayer because today, more than ever, we need more priests than in the past.

“My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” (Jn 10:27).

As we follow the texts of the Sunday Gospel readings, we sense the Lord Jesus’ great concern for the Church here on earth, for his brothers and sisters. Last Sunday, we read about the event after the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus when He appeared to the Apostles for the third time on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias. In this encounter, Jesus asked Peter a question – do you love me? – to which Peter had to answer three times. We know that this so impressed Peter that he realized the seriousness of his Master’s words and wept at the last answer. Christ made Peter the first Pope, the first Bishop among the Apostles, and because he went to preach the teachings of the Lord Jesus in Rome, where he died, our faith is called Roman and Catholic because we are followers of the teachings of the Lord Jesus.
We know that the Lord Jesus did not cease to care for His Church even after His ascension, that He promised her the Holy Spirit, which came to pass on the tenth day after His ascension. Even today, the Holy Spirit directs His Church through the visible Head of the Church-the Pope.
The Holy Father John Paul II also often used the words of today’s Gospel in his travels around the world as the representative of Christ to stress the need for new vocations, both religious and priestly.
That Jesus used a simile familiar to his hearers in ordinary life – the sheep listen to the shepherd and follow his voice – is not unworthy of us. We feel that this is not to diminish the dignity of man, but it is a beautiful simile, an excellent thought. We know that a good shepherd is willing to do everything he can not to lose a single sheep entrusted to him.

The Lord Jesus died for all. Jesus is the Shepherd, and we are His flock. That is why we understand the words of the Gospel to mean, “My Father who gave them to me is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. the Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:30).

When we observe what has been happening in the Church in our own country since the Second Vatican Council, we find that the priest’s attitude has changed toward unbelievers and believers. The priest of the 21st century is aware that it is not he who is to be served but he who is to do. However, many people misunderstand this. Some would like to go so far as to see the priest as their vassal, come running at the nod of the hand and oblige them in everything, renounce their regulations, conscience, respect their power and position, their strength. The priest today must be especially aware that he is working with the two great gifts of God, that not only he-the priest-but also those around him, the people, have the gift of reason and free will. That is why the Church of today does not want to pressure, threaten, but rather instruct, to explain that the believer or the baptized person does not only have rights in his faith but also has duties. When we realize this principle, no one will say that a pastor “must” when your life does not indicate a believer!

As a priest respects the teachings of Christ, so he must demand that of his faithful. Many look at the priest incorrectly. Some underestimate him; others ascribe to him what he does not have at all. A priest is first and foremost a person who consciously and voluntarily, after preparation in the seminary, receives from the hands of the bishop the power of the priest, which he receives not from the bishop but Jesus Christ Himself. This thing, however, does not absolve him of his human weaknesses and imperfections. He is left with his temperament, abilities, hereditary qualities, and other positive and negative characteristics. Therefore, especially today, those who see only faults in a priest must recall the words of St. John Mary Vianney. He said: “The faithful have such a priest as they ask for,” This means that criticism without help, good advice, a word of appreciation, understanding, and prayer is little enough. Many people, in turn, want from the priest what he cannot do. The priest is only a facilitator of grace.

Lacordaire says: – The priest is the man to whom Jesus Christ has entrusted all men.
Francois Mauriac expressed the meaning and, at the same time, the power of the priest in this way: – I ask nothing else from the priest but that he should give me God.-
Giovanni Papini wrote: – The salvation of the world is in the hands of the priest! Christianity is the only medicine that can heal humanity, and the priest is the only doctor who can dispense it.-
Otilia Mosshammer explains: – The vocation of a priest is quite different from that of a doctor, a teacher, or an engineer. The science that the priest has to learn is the folly of the cross. The priestly office means continuing the work of Christ, proclaiming the truth, and leading the faithful to eternal life, to the goal, distributing graces in the sacraments. As the authorized mediator of God, He has the power to sacrifice Christ for the people.

All these statements can be summed up in words; The priest is the mediator between God and the people. And the priest himself must be aware of this. He must not forget that he is a precious vessel in which God is hidden.

There were several families and children at the retreat, and among them was a young man. The next day they already knew each other; they knew about each other, only nothing about the young man. Is he single or married? What does he do? He was cheerful, bright, but also strange. No one asked him precisely what they were interested in. It wasn’t until the next day that a little girl of about 12 asked, “Uncle, are you an engineer like my father, too?”
The man smiles and says: “I have a college degree, and I’m not an engineer. I go to the hospital to see the suffering, and I am not a doctor. I teach children and adults, and I am not a teacher or a professor. People come to me to cry, and I am not a psychologist. I often preach, and I am not a politician. I wear different clothes every day, and I am not an actor. So, what do you think I am?”
Though not brought up Catholic, the girl answered correctly, “Then you are none other than a Catholic priest.”

Brothers and sisters, I wish you often and beg for graces daily. I pray for you a lot because it is my duty. Today, on the Feast of the Good Shepherd, I would like, if you will permit me, to use this solemnity, in a way, for my benefit. I want to thank all of you who help me in any way and, at the same time, I want to ask you: to pray for me because my vocation also depends on you, on your prayers and your example.

Let us pray: Mary, Queen of priests, intercede for us!

When we look around us, we often see that believers are not fulfilling their responsibilities as they used to. Sometimes we even hear it: I used to be a minister, and now I don’t believe. Or: I’ve had it; God didn’t help me when I was sick. When I see X.Y. going to church, I don’t go there, etc.
We know that the primary virtue in a person’s life is faith. It is necessary for the natural life but also for the supernatural. It is impossible to imagine life without faith. We have to be grateful to the Lord Jesus that He reminds us of something significant even today.

In the Gospel, the Lord Jesus turned to the doubters and murmurers and said: “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (Jn 6:63).

Jesus’ discourse on the Eucharist, which we have reviewed for several Sundays, guides our reflection. This speech outraged the Jews and brought evil into his disciples’ ranks. Nor could they, like the others, understand how Jesus could give them his body and food to eat. Therefore, we hear the words from their mouths, “Harsh is this speech! Who can listen to it?!” (Jn 6:60).
And several walked away from Jesus. Leaving the Lord Jesus must not be seen as a problem – whether to acknowledge the Lord Jesus. We must understand it as an emotional problem, which was the case for many in hearing Jesus. And when the emotions passed, the feelings waned, the need for sound reasoning became apparent, and here His disciples did not resign. Jesus asks them to have faith and believe him, but they cannot understand.
Pascal said that, like love, we need the courage to believe. Lack of courage to have faith weakens it and often makes it impossible.
What are the obstacles that make our faith impossible?

The most severe obstacle is when we want to explain everything with our reason, which is impossible. We often hear: what I don’t see; I don’t believe! And yet, there are many things that we do not see and think exist. We have not seen any gamma, and yet we think it exists. We have not seen an electric current, and we think it exists. A blind man has never seen the sun, yet he believes it exists.

The most significant difficulty for the apostles was to believe what was humanly impossible. How can Jesus give us his flesh to eat?
The answer to this question is substantial, meaningful, and yet simple. If Jesus can feed five thousand people with five loaves, if he can give sight back to the blind man, if he can raise Lazarus, who had been lying for three days, to life, then it means that he can also give his body as food. Faith, in this case, is a sign of trust in Christ. Thus the Lord Jesus’ apostles believed utterly. To the question of the Lord Jesus, “Do you also want to go away?” (Jn. 6:67). Peter answers, “Lord, and to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (Jn. 6:68).

It is possible to walk away from Christ, it is possible to betray Him, it is possible to renounce Him altogether, but what to give to the human soul instead of Christ? The soul of man is hungry for God. It also takes over, though it cannot be satiated with anything. St. Augustine said solemn words on this subject, “Thou hast created us for Thyself, O Lord, and unsatisfied is our soul until it rests in Thee.”

Every Church, and even more so Christianity, has its mysteries, which can only be clarified and fully understood in the light of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This was why St. Paul wrote these words in his Letter to the Corinthians: “But if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:14). The resurrection of Christ is the last and most weighty proof, the argument confirming the genuineness of our faith.
The second reason that often causes a crisis of faith is our earthly mindset. This is how some of Lord Jesus’ hearers understood his words, and this is how his apostles often thought. The most serious concern for them was the concern for temporal life. To make their life here on earth as peaceful as possible, free from hardship, and make the most of it. And this was considered by many to be most necessary. To believe in eternal bliss – heaven, in the Eucharist, eternal life- is a lot for today’s man.

How does the Lord Jesus respond to these difficulties? His words are unequivocal. Concern for life here on earth is a good thing; it is necessary. The Lord Jesus commends it in another place, but He equally emphasizes that this concern will not solve the problem of human life. Man has a soul and a body, so he must also care for them.
The words of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel are eloquent: “The Spirit quickened; the flesh profited nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are “Spirit and life.” (Jn 6:63). The word flesh in this text denotes a temporary dwelling here on earth. The Lord Jesus confirms that it is good but very fragile, quickly passing away, and little of it remains to man. And when this is so, it is wrong to lay hold of it, for everything will end one day. Let us realize that our real-life will only begin after our death. The Lord Jesus reminds us here of one main thing: we must learn to evaluate our relationship correctly in our life here on earth. We are not to belittle our mission on earth, but we must be aware that we will be rewarded for our life here on earth one day.
What does it mean to prepare for eternity? It means taking seriously the words of the Lord Jesus, which He also spoke to us today, “The Spirit quickens, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.” (Jn 6:63). Meanwhile, we are committed to spiritual life. To care for its development, trust Christ implicitly, and strive for complete union with him. We see the proof in daily life, which teaches us that whoever desires in life to live according to Christ will not fail. Let us trust Christ!

Recently was the feast of Stephen of Hungary, who has been called the “Apostle on the Throne.” In the words of Jesus, He was the light and leaven here on earth. Together with his wife, Gisela, he fulfilled the words of Jesus. Would you say they were anything higher? St. Helen lived by the natural law, keeping to her conscience. A postmistress by profession, she became the wife of the officer Constantine Chlorus, who would later leave her when he became emperor. She persevered honorably, however, and the rewards would come to her and when she became emperor, her son Constantine, who was very fond of her. We thank her for the beautiful buildings and the discovery of the cross on which the Lord Jesus died.

What does all this mean for us? To trust Jesus more than ourselves. To give God his due, not only in moments of feast or solemnity but also in everyday moments, especially when he is pressing the cross: ‘Lord, here I am!

There have been crises, there are crises, and there will be crises. The Lord does not test anyone beyond his strength. The Lord will allow but will not forsake. Instead, let us ask our conscience more often about what we have neglected, messed up, and betrayed in our relationship with God. 

God is calling (Jn 10:27-30)
The matter of the call to the ministry is still timely and relevant. God does not force anyone.

Introduction.

It is a tradition in the Church that we give attention to spiritual vocations every year on the fourth Sunday of Easter. Even the Church’s Code of Canon Law (can. 233) obliges us to develop careers. This duty is especially incumbent on Christian families, educators, and priests in a unique way. We are all to encourage and support events to develop vocations. In choosing a state of life, we must be free from any coercion and respect the right of the one who has freely chosen.
Sermon.

Before the end of the millennium, the number of spiritual vocations increased slightly. Although today we do not experience more or less a shortage of priestly vocations, we hear voices from the Church that today there is a deficit of 300,000 priestly vocations. For example, there are dioceses in Bohemia, where a priest administers more than three or four parishes. In our country too, especially in the cities, we need to set up new parishes. There are more voices for permanent clergy in hospitals, educational institutions, prisons, the army…
And so today’s Sunday of the Good Shepherd has its justification.

Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” (Jn 10:27).

Familiar words. The image used by the Lord Jesus was well known and familiar to his hearers. Jesus gave deep thought to this image. The sheep know and recognize their protector’s voice and shepherd from other agents. They know that protection, help, safety, and a caring hand are behind that voice. Already in the Old Testament, the prophets speak on this theme. The prophet Ezekiel speaks of the people as sheep in the context of a shepherd who cares for them. It is not an insult to the people that they are likened to a bit of a flock. The shepherd is understood as the awaited Messiah. Ezekiel points out that the Messiah is to be a descendant of David (cf. Ez 34:23-26). He speaks of the protection and security that the sheep will receive from the shepherd, the faithful from the Messiah. The prophet Jeremiah predicts that the Messiah will gather up the scattered nation, the sheep, and the government, suffer in captivity and receive the foretelling of freedom (cf. Jer 23:3). In the prophet Micah, we read that the Messiah will walk at the head of His people and open the gates of captivity to them (cf. Mic. 2:12).
The predictions of the prophets are perfectly fulfilled in Christ. In the context of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and his words – I know them – the Hebrew origin means much more. The Shepherd – Christ has a very close to an intimate connection with His flock, the people. Therefore, those who belong to him can follow him. Here another image must also be recalled, and that is from the Book of Revelation of St. John the Apostle. John writes of Christ, who is “the Lamb,” before whom is a great multitude, which no one could number, from all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne of Christ the Lamb, clothed in white robes and holding palms in their hands (cf. Rev. 7:9).

We are assured that God wants to save all people in these and other Scripture texts. That is why Jesus came into the world to redeem and save us. That is why at the Last Supper, Jesus institutes the sacrament of the priesthood and the apostles become the first priests, the new shepherds, and all who have believed in the divinity of Christ are sheep, that is, those who consciously and willingly want to be led, guided, by Jesus. And this activity continues today and will continue until the end of time.
The idea of the fold, of the sheep, of the shepherd, becomes, again and again, topical and temporal. Yet, those who embrace it and believe in its power do not become a little flock or an unnecessary shepherd, but quite the opposite. To belong to God, to be more with God, to surrender oneself wholly and entirely to him, to specifically do the will of God, to consecrate one’s life on earth to him, is to respond to the call, the address that God gives as a gift to man. Not everyone can meet the criteria to be a shepherd. We understand vocation as a gift that one must receive, cooperate with it, and be aware that one has not received it only for oneself. As a shepherd, one takes responsibility for the brothers and sisters entrusted to one’s care.

Thus vocation is a gift. It cannot be bought. When the facility is refused, it is understood as an insult to all. The giver is God. It is the mystery of his love for man. He often calls those who least expect it. Those often addressed spar excuse themselves as unworthy. Think of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, and others. And so it happens today. God addresses the invited in different ways. Through people, events, and things. He calls quietly but also insistently and forcefully. He respects the freedom of man. He does not leave man without help. He gives his graces, his strength, his assurance, his courage… From those whom He calls, He wants both external visible and internal invisible values. The externally visible values include that in the Roman Catholic Church, there is an ecclesiastical and not a divine law, that the priest does not marry, he remains free. Celibacy is not a burden but a means of service. The priest prays daily the prescribed prayers of the Church; the Breviary – the Liturgy of the Hours for himself and those entrusted to him, for the Church and the world. The priest presides at the liturgy, administers the sacraments, teaches, preaches, and manages the Church’s property… The interior, the invisible, is related to the visible. He is to be a man of faith, hope, and love. Even though he receives spiritual power through ordination, he remains a man. The inherited and acquired or acquired qualities stay with him. Therefore, a priest may be good and evil, a saintly life and a scandal to those around him. As a citizen, the priest has rights and duties; he must respect civil and ecclesiastical law. He is entitled to express his opinion on social and political matters. Because of his education, he deserves a certain status, but not that which does not belong to him. This shows that tensions, clashes, crises, or mistaken and incorrect attitudes can and do arise. Both the priest and society need to be aware of the importance and mission of the vocation. Both the priest and the non-priest-layman will be accountable to God the Judge for their conduct at their death. And let us remember that to whom much has been given. And Christ will be the righteous Judge. Therefore, we need to further remind ourselves today of the demands upon those whom God calls.

We are all responsible for future callings. There is often much mystery surrounding vocations. We are aware that we, too, are addressed, “Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest.” (Mt 9:38). We are perhaps more aware that we cannot wait with folded hands today.

Priest A. Wietrzykowski tells of the birth of a vocation as follows:
I noticed a pretty girl for girls who wanted to become nuns during the spiritual exercises. I asked her: “Why do you want to become a nun?” “I don’t know myself.” replied the girl. I feel that the Holy Spirit was guiding me at that time. I asked her: “And you don’t have a boy?” “I do!” She said bluntly. “And is he a good boy?” “Yes!” She answered directly again. “You see,” I told her now, too, “you want to go to the convent, be happy, and you don’t think you’ll spoil his life? What is he to think of you?” The girl bowed her head and asked quietly: “What should I do?” “Go home and get married! And if God wills it, pray that your son becomes a priest. But it would help if you did not force your son to do so. Pray!” Years passed, and the war ended. I have even forgotten this conversation. I became the seminary’s rector in Poznan and accepted candidates for the priesthood. Then a woman came to me. I didn’t recognize her until she told me: “I begged him for a priestly vocation, just as you preached to me. Now I want to entrust him to your hands, and I trust you will bring him to the altar.” This son of hers has been a priest for several years. He is a good, zealous priest. This reminds me of the words of a Catholic writer who wrote: “There are mothers who feel a spiritual vocation in their hearts, and because they have not been able to realize it in their own lives, they pass it on to one of their children so that what was a dream in their hearts may become a reality in the life of their child.”
It is necessary today to pay attention to future vocations. The number of children in families is decreasing, and so is the number of professions. The consumer society is seducing those who have felt a domain. Young people are threatened at the time of childhood and adolescence. Morality is declining. Resistance to spiritual things is increasing. Initiatives taken to awaken new vocations are underestimated. Responsibility is forgotten. Woe even to the girls who seduce the priest! We should pray for new works. Thanks are due to those who also materially assist in new vocations. “God bless the families of the new priest to the third generation,” says Don Bosco. It is a time of graduation, a time of discernment. It is a time to form, speak, live more, and be more ready to catch the voice of God.

“God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). In every new vocation, God gives us a new blessing. Let us ask Jesus, the Good Shepherd, for these great blessings today. Let us all pray. Parents, you young friends, but also all of you… for the harvest is excellent, and the workers are few.
Lord, hear our humble petition. Bless us with new vocations, and bless and sanctify those you have already called.

You’ve probably received an invitation to a reception, wedding, or reception announcement saying, “You are invited to the festive table. Or you have been personally invited by your fiancé or another celebrant. And you feel you must accept that invitation. Even if you don’t feel like it right away, say: I can’t refuse the invitation.

Today, for the fourth time, the wisdom of God sends His messengers and invites us to His banquet. For two weeks, we have been reading in God’s Word about the mysterious feast to which God is calling us. We are invited to the table of God’s goodness, to the table of God’s Word, and the banquet of the Lamb.

Since the second week, we have been saying it, and are we still rejecting it today? What if we listen to the invitation one last time? What will you say then, in your defense, before God, who knows all our thoughts and words? Consider carefully lest you grieve Jesus as the inhabitants of Capernaum did. And yet Jesus invites us so urgently: come and eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Try to see how good the Lord is. Come, children, hear me…

Jesus says, “Take and eat…. Verily; verily, I say unto you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you…” (Jn 6:53).

One of the most striking things in Catholic churches is the perpetual light. It symbolizes the presence of Christ and His constant love for us, which brought Him to the point of constantly giving Himself to us, becoming our fellow citizens by pitching His tent amid our towns and villages. When Christians come to his dwelling place, they kneel. It is one of the ancient symbolic acts expressing humble reverence, submission, and devotion to God. They believe in his presence in the consecrated hosts kept in chalices for the dying.

Yes, brothers and sisters, the sacramental Jesus wants to meet you even at your bedside; he wishes to meet you in sickness and suffering. Jesus longs to meet you and is ready to go to Golgotha once again for you, and you find such an excuse… A Christian Catholic should blush for them! And what about the claim: If a priest came and took care of me, I would die immediately. My brother, dear sister, such is your faith! Yes, it is a faith, but a false faith! Neglected because of an indifferent attitude towards the sacrament of the altar. The anointing was indeed called the last, but it did not mean the later in life but an illness. And now, in the same disease, you can receive the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick more often.

Here, too, the Church is already in the process of bringing about a change so that you don’t have to be afraid. So often you are so scared, brother, sister. Yes, you are afraid of only one thing. Man is afraid of losing what is most important to him in the world. And often, it is not the children, the husband, the wife, but the little money, the car, the career for which one makes so many concessions! The Church does everything in its power. God is almighty, and He will never allow His Church to perish. It is even testified in the Holy Scriptures that the gates of hell will not overpower her. Christ calls us, again and again, to be reconciled to Him and follow Him as faithful Christians.

But what is the reality? Why didn’t you care for your mother, for your father on his deathbed? Why don’t you call a priest to give strength, to restore life to your loved ones? Why are your dear sick and abandoned, deprived of the treasure that is Christ? If you, brother, sister, remain cold, if you are afraid of Jesus who loves you, at least give joy to the sick! Do not wait until the first Friday, but prepare your father, mother, and neighbor for this beautiful encounter! Explain to him, encourage him, and tell him that Jesus is the life. He says of himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (Jn 14:6). So he shows the way and invites everyone to a banquet. He comes as a bridegroom and invites you. And through you, he asks yours home.

I trust, brothers and sisters, that the invitation I extend to you today, the invitation Jesus extends, will not go unanswered. We will no longer be faced with the case of someone dear to us dying without having been reconciled to Christ.
Take care because you will have to answer for your father and your mother because you neglected your duty one day. Because God’s fourth commandment also obligates you, even when you are grown up when you have your children, your family! And do you want to die without Christ? And you, my grandfathers and mothers, ask for this meeting. Command your loved ones to give you a good death; write it in your spiritual will! And if the illness presses you to the bed, and you lie longer, call a priest; he cannot take care of you, he cannot give you the Sacrament of the Sick, but he can bring you the Eucharistic Christ at least once a week. The priest waits for you together with Christ. It hurts Christ and the priest when he has to bury a brother or sister who died without the sacraments. When a person falls ill, you immediately call a doctor to him, but you do not let the doctor of the heart wait until the body has grown cold when the soul has already come before the face of the righteous judge. When we are distressed and sue those who cannot help us because the same sorrows beset them, Jesus is there!
So take away from this reflection just one resolution: I will personally take care of my dear neighbor and help him arrange a meeting and a pleasant visit with Christ.

Even Pope Paul VI was not afraid of this sacrament. Msgr. After his death, Macchi, his secretary for 24 years, said, “From the first day I was his secretary, the Holy Father preached to me to always have the holy oils at hand. On the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, after the six o’clock Mass, which the Holy Father was watching from his bed, he asked me to administer the Sacrament of the Sick to him. I administered it to him with feeling; he was fully conscious and responded to me kindly.”
Is this proof, given by our Holy Father, whom we hold in such high esteem, insufficient?

Jean, an English lord, had a ridiculous fool in his castle. He bought him a fool’s cap with rattles, put it on his head, and said:
– “Wear this cap to show that you are a fool. Please don’t give it to anyone unless you find someone who is a bigger fool than you.
Years later, when the Prince was dying and saying goodbye to his family, friends, and the Fool, the Fool asked him:
– Where are you going, sir?
– I don’t know.
– And what are you taking with you on your journey?
– Nothing, – replied his master, for he has spent his whole life-giving gifts.
– Nothing? – the fool asks himself. He takes off his cap, puts it on his master’s head, and says: “Today, I found a man who is a bigger fool than me.

We have received an invitation. Jesus himself has invited us to his banquet. Whether we accept the invitation depends on us. Jesus does not expect gifts, he only wants our sins, and he wants to give us gifts. Therefore: Come, Lord Jesus!

Brothers and sisters, it is a great joy for parents to look into their child’s face and see their face in it. When a father holds his son in his arms, we involuntarily look for similarities in features and later characters. Our human sight wants to penetrate it all. : we would like to see.

Even the apostles wanted to see the Father. And Jesus answers in astonishment, “Philip, I have been with you so long, and you do not know me? Whoever sees me sees the Father…” (Jn 14:9).

This passage from the Gospel of John again contains one almost `amazing’ point – a misunderstanding in the dialogue between Jesus and his disciples. Jesus’ thinking is radically different. Once again, he is out of step with his surroundings. He transcends the myopia of human ideas. Philip indeed asked quite sincerely – even plainly.
But… it’s best if we put ourselves “in the shoes” of Philip for a moment and imagine Jesus addressing us by name as well, asking, “You’ve been with me so long, and you don’t know me?”
Indeed, that’s how long you’ve been with us, Lord – years, decades… That’s how long we’ve been praying to you, trying to communicate with you, pleading with you… Many of us could confess our personal experience of Christ, yet we still don’t know him, we doubt… We want to see the Father as if the Son were not enough. And that’s the minor problem with our relationship.

Especially in the 1990s, Father & Son type companies appeared in our living space like mushrooms after the rain. What has been a decade or more long tradition in Western economies? Father and son – continuity of life, ideas, work… What a natural thing. Quite close to us.

Something similar, but an entirely different relationship quality, is presented today by Jesus. Our quality of relationship with Jesus is also built on the understanding of the phrase: “He who sees Me sees the Father.” Notice that everything Jesus does, he builds it up in people’s hearts and does not just bind it to his person. He is constantly talking about the Father. And we always feel the warmth of the relationship between him and the Father – we think it in his words, his attitudes. The Father’s whole life is determined by unity with the Son and vice versa.

Today is a new challenge for our faith. A faith that goes beyond parochialism to persons is faith in the Trinity – in a relationship that produces love. He who loves is very close to seeing more than Philip saw. To see the Father in the Son. That he not be seduced by the temptation of our experience, which presents the relationship of father and son as a struggle, a competition, and sometimes even hatred.

Jesus spoke to the apostles and another lesson of the Gospel that is of fundamental importance for us. The Father-Son relationship is eternal, and we are called to live in his image already here on earth. The Father-Son relationship is existential for each of us. In a sense: it determines our whole life. Let us not be afraid to embrace this mystery of the relationship between the Father and the Son, for only it will teach us to live our fatherhood and our sonship properly. Each of us is both father and son. If this is not the case, there is still a long way to go…

Today I especially wish all fathers and sons the unity that Jesus presented today. An agreement that is a witness of a relationship.

Imagine this situation: you are sitting in a car or bus with faulty brakes. You are sitting waiting to die, and you don’t know it. If you knew it or suspected it, you would certainly do something to prevent it, forestall it. You wouldn’t have sat down and got into that vehicle until this serious fault of bad brakes had been corrected.

The lives of those who have refused to believe in Christ should be changed as soon as possible because they are just like those who get into a vehicle without brakes. The words of the Gospel warn us of this: ‘He who despises me and does not accept my words has his judge.’ (Jn 12:48).

Therefore, those who have lost faith or have not believed in Christ are critical because they do not realize how their eternal happiness is threatened. They need to understand that those who have refused to believe in Christ should seek to change their position. We see how many ways God is trying to show man how his life is threatened, not only here on earth, but especially his eternal life. Unbelief in Christ is also unbelief in God, and God wants to save all men.
St. Paul says that God created us without us, but only with our help can they save us. That is why He sent His Son to teach us everything we need to do to be saved. Jesus taught us two gifts that we must not overlook: that we have a reason, which makes us the pinnacle of all creation, and free will, which must cooperate with a defense even in the salvation of our souls.

But let us also note today that God allows trials to come upon us. Not to lose us, but to make us even more deserving of his love. That is why he sometimes blinds our eyes and hardens our hearts so that we can then touch the bottom of God’s grace. Therefore, let us rightly understand that the gift of God can also be such conditions in our lives:

Man is dissatisfied with himself when:
– he experiences disappointment
– he feels the sickness of his body or his neighbor
– experiencing the death of a loved one
– feels temptation of body and soul

God does not allow this to destroy man even more, or because He is not interested in His creation, but on the contrary. In our faith, we should rightly understand the words of the old Christian proverb: “Whom the Lord God loves, He visits with a cross.” We should realize this before any of the trials above of faith come upon us.

None of us can say that we have not yet encountered difficulties in our faith. We must realize that the Lord wants to test us again and again, on the one hand, and the other hand, that here on earth, we may serve out the penalties of the sins of unbelief which we have committed, or that by working on ourselves we may win a higher degree of glory for ourselves.

But let us also be aware that through our efforts, sufferings, and trials, through our example, He wants to win other brothers and sisters to His side. For more than one Christian’s right attitude towards God, when seen by indifferent and unbelieving people, prompts them to reflect and contemplate. How many people have found their way to Christ based on the well-lived life of a believing Christian!

Therefore, let us not accept the trials which the Lord sends upon us as a punishment, but as a grace that the Lord Jesus wants to cooperate with us and that He has chosen us from among many to complete in our own body what is still lacking in the body of Christ. This is how St. Paul mentions it in his letter.
We realize that not believing in God’s help, in His protection, or in His reward for all we do for the salvation of our souls and our neighbors would be a great insult and betrayal of the love of Jesus. Jesus did not love us only when He spoke of His passion and death. Jesus loved us even when He said: “It is finished” (Jn 19:30). This means for us today that when we genuinely take heart, we will see God in Jesus, and so we will pass from darkness to light, from death to life.

None of us wishes to sit in a car that has terrible brakes. We fear for our physical life. Therefore, let our attitude to faith also be more serious, more responsible so that we may not know one day the disappointment that could come very quickly, unforeseen.

We know that human, animal, and plant life is impossible without light. We know that light is a tremendous force that can bring forth new life. We believers also know that our souls also need light, though invisible to our senses, and that light is the light of grace necessary for salvation.

In Jerusalem, the Feast of the Dedication of the Temple is also called the Feast of Light. In Solomon’s Sermon on the Mount, Jesus, when challenged by the Jews, declares himself the Anointed Messiah, saying, “I have already told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify of me, but you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep….” (Jn 10:25).

We know that the apostle John wrote his gospel after the three Synoptics-evangelists because the personality of Christ was already then beginning to be attacked by the first terrorists. John wants to show with his Gospel that there is only one way to know the answer to the question: Who is Christ?

And we are to believe his works, and that is also the answer. His works are a sign that God is behind them, that he is working with Jesus, and that he bears witness to Christ as his Son through them. This is what the Jews were resisting, and therefore if anyone resists this, he will not be able to arrive at the truth. But whoever accepts the testimony of God in the works of the Lord Jesus, we can say that it is God the Father Himself who gives it to Jesus, that is, that such a person who hears the voice of the Lord Jesus becomes His sheep, and thus receives from Him eternal life.

Jesus the Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep, they can rely on him, and he testifies to this by saying, “… no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. the Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:29-30). This means that their salvation is assured. The most significant reason why believers who have come to know the Lord Jesus and have heard His voice follow Him and come to salvation is precisely that unity which exists between the Father and the Son, that is, unity in the divine essence: “The Father and I are one” (Jn 10:30). Just as the Father wants to save all men and therefore bears witness to Jesus and gives salvation through him to those who believe in him, the Lord Jesus provides salvation by choosing to accept the task of saving humanity and making this sacrifice of his life. Therefore, we assume that our salvation is in the hands of God, and no one can snatch us out of the hands of God.
We still must let it unfold in concrete life when we realize this. Jesus’s words: “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” (Jn 10:27), address the practical part of putting Jesus’ words into practice.

It is the keeping of the Beatitudes that Jesus said on the mountain. They are the examples he gave the apostles at the Last Supper and during his public appearances. And it is also the prayer that Jesus called all who would believe in him to through the apostles. This brings into our lives alight before which all doubts, fears, and insecurities will recede, albeit sometimes slowly.
“And everyone who for my name’s sake leaves houses, or brothers and sisters, or father and mother…” (Mt 19:29).
This is the way of light. That is why we know that whoever encounters the light does not desire darkness because the light is better.

But we know that the first step is not enough. Even when weariness and other difficulties come in the spiritual life, let us remain in trust in the Good Shepherd. We know that he leaves 99 sheep on the mountain, goes after the one strayed one, and rejoices in its return. That is an excellent thought that Jesus loves us more than we can often imagine. We are more likely to wave our hand over ourselves, put out the flickering wick, or quench the broken reed. But he is like the woman who, when she sweeps the house and finds a lost drachma, calls her friends, her neighbors, and they rejoice together.

This is the light that enriches. The kind father in the parable of the prodigal son is such a light. He overtakes his son and forgives him because he loves him so much—light triumphs over darkness. And Jesus does all this only because, as he says, he sees the Father doing it: “The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:30).
To be a good shepherd is not only a matter of the priest, but a good shepherd should also be a father, mother, superior, brother to brother. Know how to say a good word. To understand how to accept this word, to put away even the sins of others: to agree with the sin of another, to help the sin of another, to stand up for the sin of another, not to punish the evil, and so on.

As we can hardly imagine a vegetative, animal life without light, may there also be more and more light and grace in our spiritual life?