Learning by Heart Jesus’ Voice 

HOMILY: Good Shepherd Sunday

John 10:27-30

8 May 2022

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA

One of the last musicals I saw before returning to the Philippines in the late 2019 was Hamilton. I made sure to watch it in its West End production with Rachel Anne Go playing Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. During the intermission, I overheard two British ladies seated in front of me praise Rachelle Ann Go for her excellent performance in the show. One of them said, she sings very well because she is a Filipina. Filipinos generally sing very well.” Her friend jokingly asked her: “What do these people eat?” I was tempted to respond… “Rice!” I was flattered to hear them attribute the gift of musicality to our nationality. There is always a place for music or singing in the Filipino way of life. It is so much a part of our culture that we do not only enjoy singing contests and karaoke, but we do it rather well.  Our ears are trained to listen sensitively to the right melody so we do not sing off key.

This Good Shepherd Sunday, we are told that Jesus is the shepherd and His sheep are those who hear His voice, recognise it and follow it. Since we are not really very familiar with sheep in our culture, except that they consider them to be absolutely adorable creatures, I did some research. To think of these woolly animals as being always obedient to the shepherd, would be a mistake! I read that sheep can be silly, hard-headed creatures, always doing what they want and often heading off in the wrong direction, getting themselves into trouble. They do, however, recognise the voice of the one who cares for them. It is important for the sheep to be familiar with the voice of their master. So, the shepherd has to always be on the alert. He cannot simply sit on a rock amusing himself or taking a nap in the shade of a tree. If one gets lost, the shepherd climbs mountains and hills looking for it, calling out its name. And whether the lost sheep has fallen into a pit or is trapped in a bush of thorns, it will bleat as soon as it hears the voice of its master so the shepherd can go and rescue it. Thus, every sheep in the flock needs to be familiar with the voice of its master so each one can call on the Good Shepherd for help when even a single one of them is in danger with wolves, thieves, and all forms of danger. 

In like manner, Jesus as a “Good Shepherd” is kept well occupied by our failings, our stubbornness, our poor choices but like any capable shepherd, He recognises and can identify every last member of His flock and call them by name! He knows each and every one of us — our unique characteristics that make us beautiful, our tendencies for good and evil, our usual failings and favourite sins… and He is there for us each time we fall or lose our way.  He calls to each of us, reminding us in our day-to-day life to be close to Him. If we call out to Him in prayer, we can be assured that He is always listening and He responds to us in the best time possible. 

Now, learning by heart the voice of Jesus takes time. We have to always listen attentively because there are many voices and noises out there that demand our attention. It is only through a sincere and heartfelt listening — it is only through a meaningful repetition, a meaningful exposure that we become accustomed to our Shepherd’s voice. This is the only voice that we must listen to, heed and follow faithfully and wholeheartedly. This familiarity with the voice of the master is a result of the shepherd and the sheep constantly being together and becoming acquainted with each other.  We have to nurture our relationship with Jesus so we become sensitive to the sound of His voice speaking to us.

Sadly, we lose our way because we can no longer tell if we are still hearing the voice of Jesus or if we have allowed other voices to lead us farther from Him — these are the voices that tempt us to think only of ourselves, to take what is not ours, to harm other human beings, to be greedy, to enrich ourselves at the expense of others and the environment, to be inconsiderate and play deaf to the misery of those around us. We allow ourselves to be deceived by these lies because the voices that call out to us are sweet and enticing and we do not like to follow the voice of Jesus that tells us to follow Him on the straight and narrow path, to love our enemies, and especially to pick up our cross and follow Him. When the going gets tough, we would rather go away. When the road gets rough, we want to give up and take the easy way out. That is how we find ourselves in trouble. That is when we realise we have wandered so far from Jesus. The funny thing is, this is also the time we tend to blame Him and accuse Him of abandoning us. Then we say our prayers and we call out to Him in anger and frustration…. yet He listens and responds because He loves us. Sometimes, we still do not hear Him calling us back to the fold. So, He uses the voices of those we listen to the most — inspirational speakers and authors, popular influencers, counsellors, priests, nuns, teachers, friends, and family…. most especially our mothers….

Today is Mother’s Day and I will not let the chance pass to greet all you moms here at mass and those of you watching the livestream. Moms are a blessing. They are the reason you and I are here on this earth. I have had the fortune of having two moms. My birth Nanay and my adoptive Mama. Despite the irregularity of my family situation, I can say that I felt loved by both of them when they were both living. One lovingly raised me and taught me life skills and values that led me to be the person I am now. And the other gave life to me and gave me the chance to forgive her and love her back unconditionally.  My relationship with either of them was far from perfect but I often recognise the voice of Jesus in their voices when they greet me with warmth, when they converse with me about life, and when they would give me encouragement and advice when I am burdened with problems. I hope that you have also felt the love of your moms, or at least mother figures who have looked out for you and comforted you and who guide you on the right path. May our mothers, grandmothers and mother figures have a heart like that of Mama Mary who is the best model of motherhood. We can always count on Mama Mary to lead us to her Son, the Good Shepherd, and help us to hear His voice amidst the noise in our life. 

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we are all invited to choose to become closer to Jesus that we may recognise His voice and hear Him calling us out of darkness into light, moving us out of the pit into the heights and beckoning us to greener pastures where He awaits us with open arms. And as we prepare to choose our next leaders, may we listen to the voice of Jesus and be guided to choose leaders after His own heart who will offer their lives in service of our brothers and sisters in need. May we always have the courage and humility to eagerly respond to His call.