One of the last few movies I saw in the cinema (way before the possibility of any lockdown was even considered) was Frozen 2. Throughout the most part of the story, Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, keeps hearing an unknown mysterious voice. She discovers that the voice haunting her in the Enchanted Forest was leading her to Ahtahollen on a quest to self-discovery. This Mysterious Voice is an element in the movie that made a lasting impact on me. Whose voice was it? Was it really her mother’s? Some say that the voice calling Elsa is none other than her own – the very spirit latent within her. Whatever it was, it had the power to disturb her and push her on a journey of life-altering proportions.
Our gospel passage from the 10th chapter of John also highlights a powerful voice — the voice of the Good Shepherd. It tells us that his sheep recognize his voice and they follow him.
When sheep hear their shepherd’s voice calling them to graze, they are assured to be led where the pasture is green and lush and the streams refreshing. His familiar voice is an assurance that he is watching and he will not let any harm come to them even if they pass through dark valleys and dangerous terrain. It is a voice they know intimately and gently calls each one of them by name. They associate this voice with care that is consistent and dependable. It is a voice they trust with their lives.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are the flock He cares for, guides, and protects. He knows and loves each of us intimately and He guarantees that if we follow Him, we shall have life. That’s great, right? However, you may ask, if we are His sheep, how do we recognize His voice? None of us here have seen Jesus with our own two eyes or touched Him with our hands, so how do we expect to hear Him? The answer, brothers and sisters, is not in our ears. We may not know Jesus in the physical form BUT if we nurture a personal relationship with Him, we get to know him intimately by faith and love such that His voice becomes audible in the silence of our hearts.
Jesus’ voice speaks to us gently. We hear him guiding and leading us on right paths through our conscience. We hear his calming, comforting voice when despite our troubles, we are overcome with a feeling of peace in the company of our loved ones or beholding the beauty of nature. In these instances, we cannot deny, that there is a great being out there looking after us, ensuring each of us is loved, and at the same time keeping order in the universe. The subtle assurance that God is in control gives us the strength and the courage to go on through trials and difficulties just as what we experience today.
Jesus’ voice also speaks loudly enough to disturb us and compel us. It drives us to look beyond the satisfaction of our own needs and interests for the benefit of others. St. Peter tells us: “For this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.” When we humbly allow Jesus to direct us, He uses us to speak to people. We become His voice to one another.
Rodel Nuyles, a police trainee from Sipocot, Camarines Sur was moved to buy a face mask for a man who was too poor to buy one for himself. The consoling voice of Jesus rings clear and true to that poor man because of the actions of Rodel.
It is the voice of Jesus that patients hear when they are comforted by the sincere and competent care rendered by Filipino nurses in hospitals worldwide. I remember our cook in London who was so appreciative of the Filipino nurses caring for her because they took time to talk to her and treat her as a person. She was not merely another patient in the ward. They always spoke kindly to her and addressed her by her name—Brigid.
In this time of pandemic, never has the voice of the Good Shepherd been so resonant! His voice is heard when doctors reassure their patients that they are getting the best care, when government leaders issue directives that protect the lives of the citizenry, when ordinary human beings coordinate to bring relief to those in need, when frontliners console their family members with the hope of a reunion after the sacrifice of temporary separation, when family members gather to pray for the world or friends link up on video calls to keep each other sane. Through all these instances of compassion, and more, Jesus speaks to humankind through the voice of His people because the voice of Jesus is the voice of love.
On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we are all invited to come to know Jesus and to recognize His voice and be sensitive to the slightest of His whispers be it in our conscience, in the voice of the people around us, or in the beautiful intricacies of nature. We are all challenged to humble ourselves, to listen to the voice of Jesus that leads us, moves us and beckons us to be His voice to others.
In closing, I would like to quote the lyrics of a hymn by David Haas entitled Voices that Challenge. It goes… “Call us to hear the voices that challenge deep in the hearts of all people. By serving your world as lovers and dreamers we become voices that challenge, for we are the voice of God.”
Sunday Gospel Reflections 