This Sunday, on account of the gospel and the collection taken up by the Church for the support of the National Seminary, is called Good Shepherd Sunday. The focus of Jesus in the gospel for the day, however, appears to be not only on himself as the Good Shepherd, but also on the sheep: "They will not follow a stranger but will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." (Jn 10: 5) People are waiting to hear Christ and his message. he calls them out from despair, loneliness and isolation. The loving rule of Christ is not an imposition. Likewise, the role of the ordained in the Church is not a diminution of people's freedom or a limitation on their practice of the Christian life. Rather, priests, in particular, are there to minister the sacraments to believers and to assist people to know Christ and to make him known. Unfortunately, the experience of sin shows that even ordained ministers can be a counter sign. The answer to such problems is not for clergy to become more like laity. Priests only become better priests by imitating more closely and faithfully the one whom they represent every time they celebrate the sacraments - Jesus Christ. Priests need to speak and act so that people can hear the Good Shepherd whose presence and voice they are waiting for and this way act as gatekeepers: "The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his sheep by name and leads them out." (Jn 10: 3) I encourage all parishioners to help their pastors through different ways of affirmation and constructive criticism so that their priests are encouraged in their ministry and more conformed to the person of the Good Shepherd.
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