Pastoral MESSAGE
“The Concern of Christ as Good Shepherd”
April 1986
The concern of Christ as Good
Shepherd is embodied in his statement of purpose proclaimed in the scriptural
readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter. The Lamb on the throne will shepherd
his people and lead them to springs of life-giving water as he says, “I know
them and they follow me; I give them eternal life and they shall never perish.”
Such purpose expresses not only the ultimate goal of his actuations but also
the means to attain it. The means involved here demands the service of devoted
followers who would personalize Christ’s fraternal and intimate knowledge
about his flock to whom he is to channel eternal life through his sacraments.
These followers are the priests and religious whose number and holiness should
increase in accordance with the need of our people at this very time.
In the name of Christ, I appeal
for positive reply both from the providers of prayer and prospective respondents
to God’s call as well as from the respondents themselves to the divine
invitation. Please show magnanimity in sharing Christ’s concern for his flock’s
welfare. So many people hunger for his grace yet they are not given the proper
sustenance due to the shortage of Catholic ordained ministers and religious
whose fare of nourishment necessarily incorporates the three-fold vital matters
derived from Christ’s irrevocable incarnation, namely, the Blessed Sacrament,
the Blessed Mother, and the Hierarchy of bishops and Supreme Pontiff.
As we are approaching next
year’s celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the International Eucharistic
Congress once held in Manila on February 3-10, 1937. I would like to recall
the theme of that celebration expressed in its official hymn: for four-hundred
years, the Filipinos have been nourished by the teaching of Christ who nurtures
the people as the adherents to Mary’s love and reliable cooperators with the
Hierarchy. May such theme sum up the intention and purpose of our intense
participation in the XXIII World Day of Prayer for Vocations on April 20,
1986.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
( Sgd.) + JAIME
L. CARDINAL SIN, D.D.
Archbishop of Manila
