A Message from Fr. Jay
Dear Friends,
Last week, we celebrated Jesus as the Good Shepherd. This week, the readings focus on the ‘Sheep’. One of the specialties of the Catholic faith is being ‘one and universal’ in nature. The sheep of the Catholic Faith are many and plenty; of different races, colors, languages, nationalities and ethnicities. Human elements of differences, politics and confusion exist even from the beginning of Christianity. But everyone is called to be united under Jesus’ name.
In the first reading, to solve the complaints of discrimination among the emerging first Christians, the new disciples: the Apostles appointed Deacons to take care of the temporal needs so that the Apostles could remain consistently in prayer and in the ministry of the Word. In the second reading, Peter introduces a new identity for the sheep of Faith as “the chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own’. Being Christians and Catholics are worth high value!
In the gospel, Jesus expects His sheep to understand Him deeply and that the Father and the Son are one. Jesus’ sheep (the Apostles) were frustrated when they could not comprehend what Jesus was telling them when He said: ‘I am the way, and the truth and the life’. Once again, the teaching alone does not accomplish the Truth, but the learning will. Jesus wants His Apostles to learn the Truth. In their later years, all His Apostles, except Judas Iscariot, learned the Truth in their own ways by taking time, proving their learning of the Truth, mostly through martyrdom.
What type of Sheep are we? Do we realize that we are the chosen, the royal and the holy? How much have we progressed in learning our Faith?
Starting this weekend, we begin the month of May. This month is dedicated to our beloved Mother Mary. On Saturday, May 2nd, 79 children received their First Holy Communion. Please keep them all in your prayers.
God Bless,
Fr. Jay Raju
- Reading 1: Acts 6:1-7
- Reading 2: 1 Peter 2:4-9
- Gospel: John 14:1-12
