Today is Good Shepherd Sunday or Vocations Sunday. Today I will speak about the priesthood. I will start by sharing some reflections of my own priesthood. I was ordained on June 30th, 2000, on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart. A few months as a priest I was preparing a couple for marriage. The date of their wedding was set. There were serious concerns about the marriage. I had a lengthy discussion with the couple in an attempt to persuade them to postpone their marriage date but,...

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Lazarus is risen from the dead. There are two other occasions, in the Bible, when Jesus raises a person from the dead. The daughter of Jairus and the son of the widow of the town of Nain. By raising people from the dead Jesus proves that He is Divine. Finally, Jesus raises Himself from the dead which causes St Thomas to say to Him: “My Lord and My God.” There have been many examples of the dead being raised to life through prayer for example, in the 15th Century Our Lord...

GOSPEL REFLECTION LAETARE SUNDAY Our Lord heals a blind man by using a paste of clay – ordinary elements from nature. The miracle today is unusual – a paste of clay. In the first reading from the book of Samuel, David is anointed with oil and this oil causes the Spirit of God to work powerfully upon David from that day until his death. Today, God continues to use ordinary elements from nature to give His Life to us - in the Sacraments for example. A Sacrament is when God becomes present...