"My sheep hear my voice and they follow me"
John 10: 27 - 30
The other day, driving in the car, I noticed out my left side
what appeared to be a very large flock of Canada geese flying high in the sky and
in near perfect formation of a clear “V” shape. I know we’ve all seen this in
various forms as well. Trying to not be
distracted in my driving I still could not help but look up at the sky quickly
and be amazed by the flight pattern of these geese.
We’ve all seen this with schools of fish in the Ocean who swarm together in gentle movements following each other in unity. We could go on about
what God has designed in nature in regards to instinctual behavior for survival
of a species. These sort of natural patterns may indeed remind us of Jesus’
words on this fourth Sunday of Easter.
In our Gospel from John 10: 27-30, we hear: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and
they follow me.” This Easter season Sunday
we are invited to define ourselves by the One we follow – Christ the shepherd who
makes promises to us far beyond what any human being could make. Though nature
may teach us something about the social order and the importance of living and
working in unity, we human beings will often resist conformity. Yet, like other
species of animal, sheep need a leader. If they simply followed each other
apparently they might stray where they should not go.
There is a story about a math teacher who one day proposed to
her young class a simple problem: “If there are one hundred sheep and one wanders
away, how many will be left?” One boy raised his hand and said, “None.” The teacher commented that this was a simple
problem and he had better look again. He
respectfully said, “I may not be very good at math but I do know sheep. If one wanders, the others will follow.”
Sheep need a shepherd that will lead and
protect them; keep them together for both safety and food. And despite our individuality and the
insistence these days on tolerance for differences, we too need to work in
unity, united to a common cause for success.
And the “cause” we align with is our common belief in Jesus Christ who
never leads us astray. So Jesus’ image is not about sheep but rather about us
and himself as the shepherd who unites us in his Body the Church as we gather together.
Jesus uses this image to explain the absolute importance that
we stay united with him and through him united with each other. He spoke the
words in today’s Gospel in response to a challenged question from the religious
leaders. That direct question was: “Are
you the Messiah?” And his answer is to say, “If you’re asking me, then you
don’t recognize my voice for “My sheep
hear my voice . . . and they follow me” Jesus’ invitation to follow is a
reassurance of God’s own care for us, his sheep. This is the Church where we find that place
to encounter the Lord and to hear his voice in sacrament; in his Word and in
the support and inspiration we give to one another. When Christ speaks, God
speaks. And this shepherd has paid the
ultimate price for us, his sheep; that of his own life.
Our first reading from Acts of the Apostles 13, illustrates how
reliable the voice of this shepherd is to those who follow. Paul and Barnabas, the two great
missionaries of the Gospel to the Gentile, world were met at first with great
success among their fellow Jews. But
that momentary success also encountered great opposition from the Jewish
leaders who rebuked Paul’s admiring crowds with “violent abuse” and “contradicted
what Paul said.”
Filled with determination that the words of the shepherd they
preached were the “instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth,” Paul
courageously dismissed this violent opposition and moved on to the Gentiles,
who continued to embrace the new Way of Christ. The message of the shepherd
will not be deterred as the risen Lord who ministers and speaks through his own
chosen human leaders and through his Church.
Sadly, though, we cannot deny what we see and feel around
us. Recently, I was listening to a video
of a recent presentation given by Bishop Robert Barron of the Los Angeles
Archdiocese on the status of the “unaffiliated” – those who identify no Church
or religious connection in today’s culture.
He covered many important issues but briefly, he began with some pretty
telling figures.
In the 1970’s the vast majority of Americans, 97%, claimed a religious
affiliation. In the 90’s it fell modestly to about 94%. But over the last 20 years, it has fallen significantly
to only 75% of Americans claim some Church affiliation which means that ¼ of
all Americans have no connection with a religion – 25%. Among Catholics, only about 30% of Catholics
admit they come to Church on a regular basis, meaning every Sunday.
Even more worrisome, among younger Catholics under the age of
30, 50% have left regular attendance at Church.
For every one new Catholic who joins the Church say at Easter time, six are
leaving. The median age for Catholics who leave the
Church is – 13! Has the Good Shepherd simply stopped calling his sheep? I don’t think so but the world in which we
live is very loud and very distracting.
We in the Church should not deny as well that we are experiencing a
period of cleansing from scandals and poor shepherding among some of our
leaders. We live in a rampant individualistic and secular society and with a culture that resists commitment.
So, we can wring our hands and bemoan our losses or we can
reach out to the sheep who have wandered.
Many today are too embarrassed to identify their faith publicly and to
admit that they know little about the teachings of the Church. Yet,
through God’s grace and our continued unity we can address this effectively.
As we journey with renewed Easter faith, what kind of sheep are
we? Are we the ones who hear, listen and
follow? Or do we sit on the sidelines,
waiting only for the good and comfortable? What about our political ties? Although it is among the two topics we dare
not discuss in public, religion and politics, whose voice do we follow when it
runs in opposition to what Christ teaches about life, marriage, the economy,
justice, the needs of the poor, and our global sense that we are one human
family as brothers and sisters created by the same God?
So, we cannot be sheep who just blindly follow; who simply
follow but never listen or hear what the shepherd says. He offers us the courage of our convictions,
think of Paul and Barnabas.
In our Eucharist, the shepherd calls through his Word and his
Body. He reminds us that are all his
sheep that we can’t simply put on the blinders for his voice is extended to everyone
and so must our witness to the faith. Hear what he says, listen carefully with
hope and trust, and then go as his missionary disciples.
Almighty ever-living God,
lead us to share i the joys of heaven,
so that the humble flock may reach
where the brave Shepherd has gone before.
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
(Collect of Mass)
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