The Role of Shepherds

“Where is your brother?” (Genesis 4:9)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,

One of the images used in the Bible is that of the Good Shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep (Luke 15, John 10:11 ff). When we reflect on this, we realize that we all play the role of shepherds in different ways in our families, workplaces, community, and elsewhere.

Recently, I got the opportunity to visit some of our longtime parishioners who were regular churchgoers and were active in different ministries of the church but are now homebound or living in nursing homes and other facilities. When I visit them with Holy Communion or for the Anointing of the Sick, I can see the joy on their faces. They have great memories of our parish. Some of them were crying when receiving communion after a long time. Some of them express their joy and gratitude when they see someone from the St. Rose community. During the recent ACTS Retreat, one of the faith sharers shared with tears of joy how our community supported his family when they were in great distress.

One consequence of the pandemic is that we tend to be more disconnected from one another. As a result, we don’t always have a great idea of where the members of our community are or how they are doing. It is our responsibility as a community to find out which of our people are in need of spiritual care.

A parish is not just a group of people coming together. It is a community and a family. Religion is a relationship with God and others. According to St. Paul, we are different members of the mystical body of Christ (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:11,13,18,27; Col. 1:18; Eph. 5:30). The most important purposes of the Church are worship, faith formation, evangelization, fellowship, and service.

What can we do?

Form Relationships

Try to get to know other members of our community. One of the easiest ways to do this is by getting involved in some of the different ministries of the church.

Inform the Clergy

If you know of any parishioners that are homebound or isolated and are in need of our spiritual support, please contact the parish office or inform any of the Priests or Deacons so that we can visit them.

Community Outreach

Let us think about visiting our senior members, either individually or as a group, spending time with them, praying with them, thus showing our love and gratitude to them for everything they have done for our community.

God bless you all,

Fr. John Samuel