LISTEN TO THE VOICE
"He is our
Shepherd, and the sheep know His voice. If we are His sheep, we will listen to
Him, recognizing Him and obeying Him." (Blessed John Henry Newman)
The
Prophet Isaiah said, "He will feed His flock like a shepherd: He will
gather the lambs in His arms" (Is 40:11). At the end of each day the
shepherd brought his sheep into shelter. They knew the voice of their shepherd
and came at his calling. So familiar was the shepherd with his sheep, that each
was called by its name. The Scriptures describe God as a Shepherd who brings
security and peace to His people.
A
question to ponder on this Sunday: Do I really believe Christ Jesus knows my
name? When do I hear Him calling me?
As
the Easter season continues, the Church's meditation is on the resurrection of
our Lord Jesus. On this "Good Shepherd Sunday," we hear the loving
voice of the True Shepherd, Jesus. How do we respond? We find the places in our
lives where we can repent, turn to our heavenly Father, and know His love and
forgiveness. During the season of the resurrection, especially this week, the
readings remind you and me of the Passion of Jesus, who healed us by His wounds
on the cross. The presence of the risen Jesus calls us all to conversion in
life.
One
of the commentaries for today's Scriptures that I read says this:
All
of us have responsibilities for church leadership: some to seek ordination or
consecrated life, others to support the shepherds in prayer, attentiveness, and
sharing of resources. But most of all we have to embrace the mutual humility of
this relationship, whether as leaders or followers.
I
like this statement a lot; we all can work and learn from this statement as church
together.
In
the responsorial psalm today we acclaim, "The Lord is my Shepherd; there
is nothing I shall want" (Ps 23).
Blessed John Henry Newman wrote his thoughts on this psalm. He says,
"He is our Shepherd, and the sheep know His voice. If we are His sheep, we
will listen to Him, recognizing Him and obeying Him. Let us be sure to follow
when He goes before us."
May
we long to hear His voice; let us pray that He may give us attentive ears and a
heart of good will.
Listen
to the Voice