Congratulations to Confirmation Candidates, Sponsors, and their families! And Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day! There is a beautiful Spanish proverb: "An ounce of mother is better than a pound of clergy." On Mother’s Day let us Christians, acknowledge the truth that we have two mothers: our earthly mother and our heavenly mother, Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Catholic Church proclaims the great nobility of the mother of Jesus, Mary most holy, and presents her as the supreme model for all mothers. She was born into humble surroundings, she was called by God to be the mother of the Son of God.  She affirmed her obedience to the call of God and lived out her vocation throughout her entire life.  Mary, the mother of Jesus, our Blessed Mother, is the true model of motherhood.
 
The fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday and it is the “World Day of Prayer for Vocations.”  The vocations rooted in families. Moms have a special role in the life of children, their sacrifices and love influence their life. The scripture lessons for this weekend is about the role of the shepherd.
 
In his book, The Holy Land, John Kellman describes a field pen. It consists of a circular stonewall about four feet high with an opening in it. Kellman says that one-day a Holy Land tourist saw a field pen near Hebron. He asked a shepherd sitting nearby, “where’s the gate for your pen?” The shepherd said, “I am the gate.”
 
The shepherd then told the tourist how he herded his flock into the pen each night. Then he lay down across the narrow entrance. No sheep could leave the pen, and no wild animal could enter it, without stepping on his body.
 
Jesus is our shepherd, who lay down his life for us, to give us new life and He is with us. He broke the bread and said to his disciples, this is My Body, take and eat it. Jesus tells us the same, “This is My Body.” Like Apostles, we are also fed at this table and send out to break us and give to others.
 
This Sunday our young women and men receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Apostles received Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It was life-changing for them. They received the gift of the Holy Spirit. What are they? There are seven of them: 1. Wisdom which helps to understand things from God’s point of view; 2. Understanding which helps us to understand the deeper meaning of supernatural truth; 3. Knowledge helps us to appreciate the life God has given: begin to see God’s presence in people, things, and nature and treat them with proper dignity; 4. Right Judgement or Counsel which helps to make the right decision God would want me to make; 5. Reverence or Piety which helps to trust God more, the relationship becomes stronger; 6. Courage or Fortitude which helps to stand up for what I believe; 7. Fear of the Lord or Awe and Wonder which helps to stay on the right path to heaven. Fear of the Lord is because I love God and I want to please Him.
 
Let us join in prayer for our young people, those who are receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, may God pour the gift of the Holy Spirit, and so they may come out of the Upper Room and reach out in mission to others.  Let us pray that with our Confirmands, their sponsors, families and our entire cluster will be renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit.