Our Pastor’s Corner – Week of May 11, 2025

Dear Friends,

This week, we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Easter. The fourth Sunday of Easter is also commonly referred to as “Good Shepherd” Sunday. In each of the three lectionary cycles, the Gospel is taken from the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John. This chapter of John’s Gospel follows Jesus’ healing of the man born blind and the rejection of this miracle by Jewish leaders who question Jesus’ authority to heal. Jesus responds to this challenge to His authority by calling Himself the Good Shepherd. He is criticizing the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders. Already, the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders are so angered that they attempt to stone and arrest Jesus.

Set in a moment of tension and conflict in John’s Gospel, today’s Gospel reading is Jesus’ answer to the question, “Are you the Messiah?” Jesus responds by saying, in essence, “If you have to ask, then you are not one of my sheep.” Then Jesus asserts his unity with the Father. At the conclusion of these words, John reports that the Jews intend to stone Jesus for blasphemy, but he escapes arrest.

We may be less familiar today with the metaphors of sheep and shepherd than those to whom Jesus spoke. The image of Jesus as Good Shepherd (and the community of followers as His sheep) has endured over the centuries as a primary image in our Catholic faith tradition. Its power to describe the relationship between Jesus and his followers transcends direct experience with sheep. The image speaks to us about the protection, security, and care that shepherds represent for their sheep.

Today’s Gospel speaks powerfully about the familiarity and intimacy between Jesus and his disciples, expressed as recognizing and knowing another’s voice. Today’s Gospel also speaks to the relationship between Jesus and the Father. In the Gospel of John, Jesus identifies so closely with the Father that He tells us that they are one—not just close, but actually one. To know Jesus is to know the Father. Jesus doesn’t just bring us closer to the Father, Jesus puts us directly into contact with God the Father, removing all distance between us. Our relationship with Jesus is an invitation to share in the very life of God.

On this Mother’s Day weekend, we remember in a special way all of our dear mothers. We will have a special blessing at all the Masses this weekend for them and we will also remember and pray for them in the Prayers of the Faithful. Whether living or deceased, let us never forget our dear mothers and always seek to honor and remember them with a sense of profound love and respect.

This weekend, we will begin our Baby Bottle Drive for Mother’s Home in Darby, PA. Baby bottles will be distributed at all Masses and you are welcome to take them home with you and fill them with any spare change over the coming weeks. We will collect them on the weekend of Father’s Day, June 15th. It may seem like a small gesture but it does “add up” and it is a great way to help the work they do for unwed mothers and their children. This is also a great opportunity to teach our young children about the value of helping others and making sacrifices for those in need. We thank you for considering participating in this drive and for helping mothers who are in need.

This Monday, May 12th we will celebrate our Annual May Procession and crown Mary, our Blessed Mother, as Queen of heaven and earth and our hearts. We invite you and your families to join us in the church at 7 PM for this beautiful evening of devotion to our Lady. All are cordially invited to attend an ice cream social immediately following devotions in Assumption Hall.

Thank you again for your generosity and all the sacrifices you make for our parish and to help others in need. We are blessed to have such a wonderful parish community and I appreciate all you do to keep our parish faith-filled, alive and strong. May God bless you and your families!

Love and prayers, Father Carey