Laying down His life for the sheep is the manner in which the Lord shows how much He loves us. To be the good shepherd is not in any way a simple or foolish thing. To be the good shepherd demands a lot of discipline and an awful lot of patience and perseverance. The patience comes into play when the good shepherd has to watch patiently when the sheep are slow to follow instructions, no matter how simple they may be. The perseverance is in recognizing that the sheep need care and attention, day in and day out. The Lord is truly our good shepherd. Can we really appreciate what the Lord does for us?
We are the Lord’s beloved flock. We can sit with that image and enjoy knowing that the Lord is keeping a protective watch over us. However, the Church is asking something more from us today. The Church is asking us to pray especially for vocations to the priesthood. Let us pray for the people who have given their lives to follow this vocation: the priests, the deacons. Our prayer for them can simply be a prayer of thanksgiving, thanking God for their dedication and service. Let us pray, too, for ourselves as a parish community. Let our prayer be that we will always be ready to hear the quiet voice of the Lord, the good shepherd, and follow Him. Praying for vocations is a good idea and holy thing to do.