Pastors today seem to be administrators of sheep ranches rather than shepherds. How many pastors know the names of their sheep? Many are limited in sharing God’s Word by the time boundaries of a homily. Most stand around after Mass and chat, usually with the same few people. Does Jesus see our generation as he saw his on earth— “sheep without a shepherd?”
Given these conditions, the Enemy has a field day sowing confusion. As we scramble for the truth, we are confronted with many voices—the infrequent words of our pastors being one of them. It is hard to believe that some German cardinals are talking about changing the Catechism to accommodate those who do not respect the moral teachings of the Church. Some comments by the Pope have ambiguity to them, leaving people confused. In recent years relativism has crept into the Church leading people to think that people create their own truth.
In the midst of all this, how do we know what to believe and what to renounce? Today’s gospel passage gives us the answer to this (John 10:22-30).
“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”
Jesus is the truth. He is the Word of God through everything has been created. He is one with the Father and represents the mind and will of the Father to the world. Nothing is more important for us than hearing his voice. To do this we must turn ourselves over to him, the way sheep are turned over to the care of their shepherd. Though we were given to Jesus at baptism, we must make a daily decision whether or not to listen to his voice.
Jesus is not an administrator of a sheep ranch, but a shepherd. He knows each of his sheep by name, knows their aches and pains, knows whether or not they are hungry, and leads them step-by-step along safe paths. Jesus is our true pastor and knows each of us by name.
We ask ourselves how do we learn to hear the “now” voice of Jesus in our lives, and how do we know that what goes on in our minds is his voice. First we repent by taking out the “ear plugs” of sin in our lives. Sin throws so much static into our spirits that the voice of Jesus is blocked out. Secondly we make a decision to put Jesus first in our lives and to accept his as our Lord, God, and Savior. Thirdly we ask him to bring us into the Upper Room and awaken our hearts to the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit awakens in us, we receive the gift for tuning in to the voice of the Shepherd. This done, we devote ourselves to a life of prayer—tuning out the noise of the world, so that the only voice we hear is that of our Shepherd. Finally, we pray for the gift of spiritual discernment, so we can distinguish the voice of Jesus from other voices, including those generated by our own minds.
Is there anything more fulfilling than to spend time with the Son of God and converse with him? Is there anything richer than having Jesus Christ as our personal Shepherd and friend? Isn’t this a taste of heaven on earth?
What a privilege we have, belonging to Jesus’ flock. Let’s do all we can to stay close to him and listen to his voice. In doing so, he gifts us with eternal life.
