A Shepard's Care
Weekly Column

When I read the gospel for this week, a phrase kept popping into my head. I am sure we are all familiar with it. We have probably all uttered it or thought it in frustration at some point or another when dealing with coworkers or spouses or children or roommates or countless other people in our lives. It frequently pops up in movies and TV shows, interestingly, often by a villain complaining about their henchmen. According to a variety of internet sources, the phrase seems to have been in use for almost 500 years, and may have even been popularized by none other than Napoleon Bonaparte.

You may have heard the words “universal call to holiness” at some point over the past fifty years. It’s the idea that all of us–not just priests or religious, but truly all of us–are called to be holy and to be saints. But I wonder: Have you heard about the universal call to mission? The universal call to mission is very closely related to the universal call to holiness in that all of us–not just priests, religious, or professional evangelists, but truly all of us–are called to go on mission. In fact St. John Paul II says that “The universal call to holiness is closely linked to the universal call to mission. Every member of the faithful is called to holiness and to mission” (Redemptoris Missio 90). But what does this mean? Do I need to uproot my life and go serve somewhere in the world that has not heard about Jesus? If this call to holiness and mission are so closely related and we are all called to live them out in our lives, then we need to look no further than today’s Gospel to start to understand what we need to do.

For the last two years I was blessed to participate in the Encounter School of Ministry which helped me become more activated in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was an inspiring and renewing experience. Encounter Ministries began at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Brighton, Michigan, and is now an international movement fanning the flame of revival in the Catholic Church. (See: https://encounterschool.org/) And I am excited to announce that some of their teachers are coming to IHM to share the fruits that the Holy Spirit has been producing through them.

“But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it.” In today’s gospel reading from Matthew, we hear the well-known parable of the sower. This parable has challenged all of us since the time of Christ to live a holy life loving God and letting Him love us. In the parable, the sower who generously scatters the seeds on good and bad ground is God. The seeds represents his Word. We are the ground or soil which receives the seeds. In this parable, Christ is challenging all of us and asking if our faith is taking deep root in our lives. Are we good soil or bad soil? That’s the question for us to answer today. So what soil are we?

This weekend as we reflect upon our nation’s 250th birthday, our Scripture readings invite us to see our country not only in the context of human history, but also of salvation history. Salvation history is the story of God’s grace flowing through human history.

Scripture scholars say that some version of the phrase “do not be afraid” occurs 365 times in the Bible. The Lord, of course, wants to encourage us with this phrase every day of the year. It is mentioned three times in today's Gospel reading: “Fear no one… Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul… Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10: 26, 28, 31).

In these three days that we are presently in, the Church has given us a point of reflection and prayer to deepen our faith in the Life of God. On Friday we celebrated devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The very Heart that pumped the Blood of Christ’s Humanity that is joined to His Divinity. A heart that once stopped by His death on the Cross, was pierced by the lance of a soldier. At that, the blood and water flowed from His side Giving His life to the world in the Sacraments. Through His Sacred Heart all generations are delivered from sin and death. It is the very center of His Love for us and His thirst for us is unquenchable. As His Blood Flows out to the world from His Sacred Heart, pouring out His Divine Mercy, He longs for our love in return as we are redeemed to the Father through that Sacrificial offering on the Cross. His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity that we receive at every Mass is the culmination of the Love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist.

The bishops of the United States are inviting us to join them in consecrating our nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This consecration is meant to prepare our country for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 2026). The consecration will take place on Thursday, June 11, on the Eve of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, we will pray the Consecration Prayer after Communion during the 8:30 am Mass and during the 7 pm Candlelight Mass.

When looking at the state of young people in the world today, it can be easy to fall into despair. In 2024, the youth ministry organization Lifeteen published a report called “The State of Catholic Youth in America”. According to data gathered for this report, the average attention span of a teenager has fallen under 8 seconds. The average teen spends 4 hours and 15 minutes per day on social media, and watches about 68 videos a day. The stats on mental health and well-being are even more troubling. In 2021, 44% of teens reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless. According to the Wall Street Journal, 4 out of 5 teens lack a sense of purpose in their life. Teens in 2023 spent 70% less time socializing with friends than teens in 2003.