Good Shepherd Sunday
Today is Good Shepherd Sunday and in church Fr Stephen Yim gave the homily.
He read out a poem he came across. It was definitely written tongue-in-cheek but mid-way I realised how badly we have been treating the people who sacrificed their entire lives to bring the lost sheep back to God, and who do it tirelessly day after day, year after year, for the rest of their lives.
Here's the poem:
No one wants to be a priest because …
If he begins Mass on time, his watch is fast;
If he begins a minute later, he keeps people waiting.
If he preaches too long, he makes people get bored;
If his homily is too short, he is unprepared.
If his voice is strong when preaching, he is shouting;
If his voice is normal,
people do not understand what he is preaching about;
If he goes to visit families, he is always out:
If he does not, he does not care for them.
If he asks for donations, he is a money-face;
If he does not do it, he is too proud and lazy.
If he takes time in the confessional, he is too slow;
If he makes it too fast, he has no time for his penitents.
If he renovates the church, he throws away money;
If he does not do it, he allows everything to rot away.
If he is with the youth, he forgets the old.
If he warms up to old women, he must be missing his mummy.
If he keeps distance from all of them, he has a heart of stone.
If he is young, he has no experience;
If he is old, he should retire.
As long as he lives, there are always people who are better than him;
But if the priest dies... there is nobody to take his place,
Because no one wants to be a priest!
Just thought it was a good and subtle reminder to us all to remember how tough their work and lives are, but how willingly they continue anyway. They leave behind parents, friends, siblings, loved ones, excellent careers, even dreams of marriage (as we heard from one young seminarian today who struggled with the pain of leaving his girlfriend whom he was going to marry), possessions, wealth and personal pursuits for the life of service to God's sheep. We have so much to learn from them! I just want to thank them for their sacrifice and I thank God for giving me them as shepherds.
I also discovered Fr Stephen's blog haha! He's really funny with a lame sense of humour (even told a toilet joke during lent!!) http://frstephenyim.blogspot.com/
John 10:11-18
Jesus said: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and runs away, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; he runs away because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep.
‘I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and I must lead these too. They too will listen to my voice, and there will be only one flock, one shepherd.’
John 21:15-19 (NRSV)
15: When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my lambs.' 16:A second time He said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Tend my sheep.' 17: He said to him the third time, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter felt hurt because He said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep. 18: Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.' 19: (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this He said to him, 'Follow me.'
He read out a poem he came across. It was definitely written tongue-in-cheek but mid-way I realised how badly we have been treating the people who sacrificed their entire lives to bring the lost sheep back to God, and who do it tirelessly day after day, year after year, for the rest of their lives.
Here's the poem:
No one wants to be a priest because …
If he begins Mass on time, his watch is fast;
If he begins a minute later, he keeps people waiting.
If he preaches too long, he makes people get bored;
If his homily is too short, he is unprepared.
If his voice is strong when preaching, he is shouting;
If his voice is normal,
people do not understand what he is preaching about;
If he goes to visit families, he is always out:
If he does not, he does not care for them.
If he asks for donations, he is a money-face;
If he does not do it, he is too proud and lazy.
If he takes time in the confessional, he is too slow;
If he makes it too fast, he has no time for his penitents.
If he renovates the church, he throws away money;
If he does not do it, he allows everything to rot away.
If he is with the youth, he forgets the old.
If he warms up to old women, he must be missing his mummy.
If he keeps distance from all of them, he has a heart of stone.
If he is young, he has no experience;
If he is old, he should retire.
As long as he lives, there are always people who are better than him;
But if the priest dies... there is nobody to take his place,
Because no one wants to be a priest!
Just thought it was a good and subtle reminder to us all to remember how tough their work and lives are, but how willingly they continue anyway. They leave behind parents, friends, siblings, loved ones, excellent careers, even dreams of marriage (as we heard from one young seminarian today who struggled with the pain of leaving his girlfriend whom he was going to marry), possessions, wealth and personal pursuits for the life of service to God's sheep. We have so much to learn from them! I just want to thank them for their sacrifice and I thank God for giving me them as shepherds.
I also discovered Fr Stephen's blog haha! He's really funny with a lame sense of humour (even told a toilet joke during lent!!) http://frstephenyim.blogspot.com/
John 10:11-18
Jesus said: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and runs away, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; he runs away because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep.
‘I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and I must lead these too. They too will listen to my voice, and there will be only one flock, one shepherd.’
John 21:15-19 (NRSV)
15: When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my lambs.' 16:A second time He said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Tend my sheep.' 17: He said to him the third time, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter felt hurt because He said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep. 18: Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.' 19: (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this He said to him, 'Follow me.'