{"id":6452,"date":"2014-05-17T13:12:51","date_gmt":"2014-05-17T12:12:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/?p=6452"},"modified":"2014-05-17T13:12:52","modified_gmt":"2014-05-17T12:12:52","slug":"4th-sunday-of-easter-11-05-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/?p=6452","title":{"rendered":"4th Sunday of Easter (11.05.14)"},"content":{"rendered":"

4th Sunday of Easter (11.05.14)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

This is traditionally known as Good Shepherd Sunday.<\/p>\n

Good Shepherds do not think of themselves, nor are they influenced by the neglect or prejudice they find around them.\u00a0\u00a0 They are interested only in their sheep.\u00a0 No danger, no difficulty is too great to be faced and overcome.<\/p>\n

Such a caring attitude, however, goes against the prevailing attitudes of the day.
\nWe live in a world where, by and large, the name of the game is \u2013 look after your own interests, because if you don\u2019t, no one else will.<\/p>\n

In our schools, it is the bright children who get most attention.\u00a0\u00a0 Naturally, these are the most successful, and are usually smothered with medals.\u00a0 The failures on the other hand, not only go away empty-handed, but are soon forgotten altogether.<\/p>\n

Worse still, a common belief in many circles is that it is right and proper to get rid of any unborn child who, it is feared, may be born handicapped in any way.\u00a0 The same fate is also pending the aged, the senile, the terminally ill.<\/p>\n

We need good shepherds today in every walk of life.<\/p>\n

In our homes we need parents who really care about their children, who spend time with them, and who still love them even when they disappoint them.<\/p>\n

In our schools, we need teachers who know their pupils, and who take a personal interest in their well-being.<\/p>\n

In our hospitals, we need devoted and committed doctors and nurses, who care about their patients, and who do not treat them as objects.<\/p>\n

In public life, we need people who care about the welfare of others, rather than their own selfish interests.<\/p>\n

It goes without say that in the Church, we need good priests who are willing to devote their lives to the loving service of all \u2013 making no distinction between persons.
\nToday, we are asked to pray for vocations \u2013 not only to the priesthood and religious life, but to all walks in life.
\nEvery Christian has the fundamental calling to be loving and caring people.<\/p>\n

Each one of us is called to follow the Good Shepherd\u2019s example \u2013and what a challenge that is! – by trying to extend to those around us the love and care of Christ, Who never tires of searching us out from whatever pitfalls into which we may stumble, and Who carries us back to the sheepfold, when we are too weary to tread the winepress alone, keeping a watchful eye on the weak and vulnerable\u2026.never wanting to lose even the smallest and most insignificant of creatures\u2026We are all the more precious to Christ, because He goes to the trouble of looking for us when we are lost in sin or distress of any kind, and finding us wherever we might be hiding\u2026..and WHY!\u00a0 \u2026.because \u00a0His love for us is so great that He died to save us\u2026. every one.\u00a0 .. excluding none\u2026.<\/p>\n

What wondrous Love is this O my soul !\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

4th Sunday of Easter (11.05.14) This is traditionally known as Good Shepherd Sunday. Good Shepherds do not think of themselves, nor are they influenced by the neglect or prejudice they find around them.\u00a0\u00a0 They are interested only in their sheep.\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archdiocese-of-liverpool"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6452"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6453,"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6452\/revisions\/6453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stbedesclaytongreen.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}