4 Sunday Easter, Year A, Good Shepherd Sunday
We live in a world filled with competing voices that shape our thoughts, emotions, and decisions. The voice of Christ, like that of the Good Shepherd, can be recognized by the lasting peace it brings, even when it calls us to change. The Christian task is to create space to hear that voice and to follow it with courage in both large and small ways.
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| Good Shepherd floor of Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, Aquileia,1st half of the 4th century |
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I took my phone out of my pocket and unlocked the screen, and I was struck by how many different messages and notifications were there. I had a couple of missed calls, something like seven unread text messages, a number of WhatsApp messages, and various news notifications. All those messages, all those voices, made me feel a bit overwhelmed, so I just put my phone down for a moment.
The smartphone, while it can be a blessing at times, is also a bit of a metaphor for the world in which we live today. We live in a world where there are so many voices, so much information coming our way, that it can be overwhelming. It is not a question of whether we follow voices or messages, because we always do. The real question is: which voices are we listening to?
We have the voices of the media, whether news or social media, that shape how we think, how we view the world, and even how we feel. We have voices coming to us through family members and friends. We also have voices within ourselves, that inner dialogue that can sometimes be positive, but can also reflect a certain brokenness within us, fear, a sense of being unloved, or anxiety. We all have various voices and messages coming to us throughout the day.
In the Gospel today, Jesus uses a powerful image. He describes himself as the Good Shepherd, the one who calls his sheep, and they recognize his voice. When Jesus calls his sheep, he leads them to good pastures. There are others, however, who also try to call the sheep, but they lead them somewhere that is not good for them.
Jesus presents himself as one voice among many. The question is: do we hear him, and do we respond?
This has always been a challenge. Many spiritual writers have reflected on the difficulty of discerning Christ’s voice among the many voices we hear. Jesus speaks to us in various ways, through friends, through family, even through the media, through Scripture, and through many other means. But how can we know whether a voice we hear, an idea, an inspiration, or a message, is coming from Jesus or not?
This is a question that Ignatius of Loyola grappled with in the sixteenth century. Ignatius was one of the most influential spiritual writers on discernment. He recognized that many thoughts, images, and ideas come to us, but asked how we can distinguish what comes from God, from what comes from our own woundedness, or even from evil.
Ignatius experienced a breakthrough in his own life. He was a soldier in Spain at a time when different regions were at war, and he suffered a serious injury to his leg. While recovering, he asked for books to read. The books he preferred were stories of chivalry, tales of knights performing heroic deeds. Instead, he was given books about the life of Jesus and the lives of the saints.
As he read these, he began to notice something. When he imagined returning to a life of adventure and glory, he felt excited for a time, but that feeling did not last. It faded. However, when he imagined living like the saints, following Christ more closely, he experienced something different. He felt a deep and lasting peace, even though the path seemed more difficult.
From this, Ignatius discovered an important principle. The voice of Jesus, even when it challenges us, brings a sense of peace. It may call us to change our lives, but it does not shame us or break us down. Instead, it calls us out of ourselves, to serve others and to give of ourselves more generously. The voice of Jesus brings a lasting peace, even in the midst of difficulty.
Because of this, we need to create space to hear that voice. As we all know, we live in a noisy world, filled with constant messages and distractions. We hear the voice of God when we take time for silence, when we allow ourselves to be quiet and attentive, so that the deeper movements of our hearts can rise to the surface. We hear the voice of Jesus in Sacred Scripture, when we listen to God’s word and reflect on it, asking what it means for us. We also hear the voice of Jesus in those who are in need, both those close to us and those further away.
Jesus presents himself as the Good Shepherd. He speaks to us, and we are his sheep. But we need to listen carefully, to discern his voice among all the others.
The Gospel also reminds us that it is not enough simply to hear the voice of Jesus. We are called to follow it. We are called to act on what we hear.
This brings us to the theme of vocation. The word “vocation” comes from the Latin word meaning “to call.” Each of us has a call from Jesus. As the document Lumen Gentium from the Second Vatican Council reminds us, our primary call is to holiness, to live like Jesus and to follow him. Each of us also has a particular vocation, whether it be marriage, the single life, the priesthood, or religious life.
Within our daily lives, we also experience many smaller vocations, moments when Christ calls us to respond, perhaps to help someone in need, to serve, or to give of our time, talents, and resources in a new way.
Today’s Gospel reminds us not only to hear the voice of Christ, but to have the courage and perseverance to follow where he leads.
We are living in an increasingly noisy world, and that will not change. But the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, continues to resound. He continues to call us to what is good, to a life that is full and meaningful.
As we enter into this Eucharist, we are invited to ask ourselves a simple question. If we look back over the past week, which voices have we listened to most? Have we followed voices that lead us away from what is good, or have we listened to the voice of Christ?
Let us pray for the grace to recognize and to follow the voice of Jesus, our Good Shepherd.
