This weekend our Catholic Church celebrates Good Shepherd Sunday as a time to pray and talk about the vocation of priesthood and to honor those men who have followed Jesus in this vocation of love. Last week, in my letter, I talked about he ongoing call to vocation and how the focus needs to be on the “how we are being called” in following Jesus Christ.
In my life I have
been blessed to know many great priests who have sought to follow God. One of my most fond memories is of Fr. Alex Affonso (may he rest in peace) with whom I served for a little over two years. Knowing Fr. Alex was a blessing in many ways. During the first months of our ministry together we were speaking about something and he recommended that I read the Encyclical by St. Pope John XXIII entitled “Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia” “On the Priesthood” St. Pope John XXIII wrote this reflecting on the life and priesthood of St. John Vianney who is the patron of parish priests. 
It was in my conversations with Fr. Alex and reading this beautiful Encyclical that my understanding of “how we are being called” began to really take hold in my life. St. John XXIII and Fr. Alex wrote and talked about the dynamic and changing life of a parish priest. St. John XXIII writes about serving the people as a good shepherd, “Following in the footsteps of the great apostles of all ages, he knew that the best and most effective way for him to contribute to the salvation of those who would be entrusted to his care was through the cross. It was for them that he put up with all sorts of calumnies, prejudices and opposition, without complaint; for them that he willingly endured the sharp discomforts and annoyances of mind and body that were forced upon him by his daily administration of the Sacrament of Penance for thirty years with almost no interruption; for them that this athlete of Christ fought off the powers of hell; for them, last of all, that he brought his body into subjection through voluntary mortification. (#71)
In my copy of this Encyclical I have underlined and read this passage over and over again because the cross we bear continues to be blessed in being called but the gift continues to stretch and bless us in our service of God’s holy people.
I would often reflect on Fr. Alex’s own vocation story that started with his family’s conversation to Catholicism in Pakistan and the ostracization of their extended family because of this conversion. His studies in the seminary and service as a priest in his home country. But ultimately it was the lessons learned watching him serve the people where the understanding of the cross and the “how we are being called” was fixed in my heart.
Fr. Alex had cancer in his jaw bone that prevented him from speaking clearly, eating comfortably and was in constant pain…with all this he simply wanted to serve. One of my greatest sadnesses was having to ask him not to preach at Mass because of this problem. I remember the pain in his eyes but in the days, weeks and months to come I also saw the determination of a good shepherd as he faithfully, although in pain at times, continued with speech therapy and working on his accent to once more be able to proclaim the word of God.
I saw a man of kindness and prayer, once more from St. John XXIII, “The thing that keeps us priests fr
om gaining sanctity” — the Cure of Ars used to say — “is thoughtlessness. It annoys us to turn our minds away from external affairs; we don’t know what we really ought to do. What we need is deep reflection, together with prayer and an intimate union with God.” The testimony of his life makes it clear that he always remained devoted to his prayers and that not even the duty of hearing confessions or any other pastoral office could cause him to neglect them. “Even in the midst of tremendous labors, he never let up on his conversation with God.”(#37) The simple kindnesses of listening, visiting and sharing time were often the comments you would hear. He prayed constantly around these works of kindness and one of the greatest blessing of my life was to pray with him the Divine Office on the final day of his life knowing that even then he was praying for our Catholic Church.
Please pray for vocations.
God Bless
Fr. Mark
(Prayer for discernment)
An honest prayer to discern God’s will