How well do we recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd in our lives?

Today we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of the Easter Season -- Good Shepherd Sunday.  We are invited to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd.  From the Gospel:  Jesus said:  “My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”

The Shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  The sheep follow him because they do not follow the voice of a stranger.

What are the voices in your life in which you are safe and very much loved?  How well do we recognize the voice of Jesus in our life?

Who in your family speaks words of unconditional love to you?  Who in our faith community speak words to you to assure you that you are safe and very much loved?  Who is the first person who spoke to you the words:  “I love you?”  Who is the last person to speak those words to you?  When was the last time you spoke the words “I love you” to someone?

VOICES – We hear them all the time, from our first conscious moment till the day we die.  Voices hurt us, heal us, form our self-concept, encourage or diminish us.   What voices do our youth listen to in the video games and the music and the culture that fantasizes and celebrates violence in all forms of our media?

What would it take for the voice of the Good Shepherd to be the dominant voice that we hear in our society?  Perhaps a better advertising firm?  An improved website?  More money?  Surely, it is much deeper than that.  There is a critical need for moral leadership in our society and in our church. We need to be able to hear the stirrings of God’s love that is within – our inner voice.

For the voice of the Good Shepherd to be our dominant voice, we need to tap into the inner resources of the mystery of God’s love that is within each one of us.  There is a longing in the hearts of each of us to hear and to know the voice of the Good Shepherd.

Today is the Word Day of Prayer for Vocations.  Vocation comes from the Latin word vocare “to call.”  Our vocation is our response to the call of God in our lives.  By Baptism, God calls us to be disciples, to be witnesses of His presence in our world.  All of us have a vocational story to share.  Your vocational story is to be found in the way you share the giftedness you have been given in the relationships, in the work, in the ways you live your life.  Your vocational story is your continuous response to God’s call.  To be aware of your vocation is to be aware of the voice of God in your life on this day.

In the context of celebrating all the ways we hear and respond to the voice of the Good Shepherd in our lives, may we encourage, may we pray that some of the young men from our faith community will consider the call of God to the ordained priesthood.   For me, the vocation of my ministry as a priest has been a source of grace, considerable joy, and a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.  It has given me the opportunity to get to know you and for us together to celebrate the mystery of God’s love in our midst.  Without any doubt, the Church needs people to respond to the call to the ordained ministry as a deacon and as a priest. 

As we know in the life of our parish community, we also need men and women to respond to the call of lay ecclesial ministry.  We are blessed by the generosity of our lay ecclesial ministers.

Each of us is called to lead others to the gracious mercy of God.  Like the Good Shepherd, we do not do this by herding or forcing people along.  We seek to live lives of such self-evident joy that others can trust that we are leading them in the path of life eternal.

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, give us the grace to gently lead others to become more aware of our love and of God’s love.