One of the feast days celebrated by the Pontifical Mission Societies is Good Shepherd Sunday. It is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Easter, today May 7.

In John 10: 11 – 18, Jesus says, “ I am the Good Shepherd .” Jesus goes on to show the qualities of the Good Shepherd. He professes love by laying down His life for His sheep. He shows friendliness and mutual bond, when He says, “ I know my sheep and they know me .” He displays care and concerned for all by saying “ there are other sheep, not of this fold and these I have to lead as well .”

The Good Shepherd desires that everyone will come to know and love Him so that there will be one flock and one shepherd. This can only be achieved by Christians becoming missionaries.

We, the members of the Catholic Church by virtue of our baptism, have to fulfill our Missionary mandate zealously. Matthew 28: 19 – 20, states “ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the end of the world .”

Patrick Baptiste, Pontifical Mission Societies

DEAR EDITOR: Society dictates how we live and youths reflect what their parents do and say. There are too many men who go to parties without their wives or if they take them along, the men go to one corner of the room and the women are left to mingle or sometimes to sit in a corner and look on.

Men are invited to go out. Where are their wives? They have not been invited. It is high time a man stands up and says “If my wife is not invited, then I am not coming.” A few men do this and when they do they are ridiculed.

Women, stop foisting yourself on married men. Remember when they get involved with you, they neglect their family and the wife who has slaved for them for year now becomes the enemy. Men, when someone invites you out, look around and see if the person's wife and children are with him and see how he is treating them.

Married men, when you buy a gift for the girl in the office who has helped you all year round, or a female co-worker, it would be nice to show your wife before giving it to her. Once it is a secret then you are deceitful and cheating. And do not bother to say “nothing is going on between us”. Put yourself in your wife's position and tell me what you would think then.

Likewise wives, if you are invited out and your husband cannot go, say no.

Ours is a drinking society where we boast of how much we drink and it is a competition to see who can consume the most alcohol. What are we teaching our children? You are my child, but do not let me see or hear that you are following my example?

Let us not forget the vile words. Men curse their wives and beat up on them in front of the children. Men, respect your wives, they are the mothers of your children. Your wife is not there to wash, cook, iron and the occasional sex to keep her happy and unsuspecting.

Complement your wife on her looks, surprise her with a bouquet of flowers, take her out to have a drink. It is not only “the deputy” who should be given these things in return for what – for mashing up your family life. What are we teaching the future of our nation? Morality dead. Family life dead.

Francilla Potts