Recognising the Voice of the Divine Shepherd

HOMILY: Fourth Sunday of Easter / Good Shepherd Sunday

John 10:1-10

30 April 2023

Fr. Ricky C. Montañez, AA

When you need guidance or advice, whom do you turn to? To whom are you listening? In a small survey, it was found that Gen Xers listed parents, grandparents, family and friends as influential in their life choices. Millenials also list friends and members of family but notably, grandparents do not make it to their list. For Gen Zers, surprisingly, top of their list are parents, friends and social media influencers. Wow! Social media influencers have a lot of power over the youth. The voices of these influencers direct the minds of the youth today in seeking advice and guidance in life.

We know this. Children get paid to tell netizens what’s cool to wear, cool to eat, where to vacation, and even how to handle real life problems like depression, heartbreak, confusion, etc. We can only hope they are qualified to dispense advice or if they take to heart their social responsibility. Sadly, many of them will do and say things that increase their engagement, even if it is the wrong thing to say or do. 

In this respect, we are no different from sheep. We are not very familiar with sheep and simply think of them as cute and cuddly animals but surprisingly they have very distinct behaviours. The sheep is said to be stubborn and can be stupid at times. When they become so engrossed in either what they eat or play with, it is most likely that they would be left behind and be separated from the flock. They often wander, head off in the wrong direction and get themselves into trouble with animals that prey on them.  This is why the shepherd has to be on alert at all times. The shepherd can’t just sit back and take things easy.

Today, we again hear a passage from the 10th Chapter of John. Our readings illustrate how Jesus is our Good Shepherd and we are to be His obedient flock. At night, the sheep are put in an enclosure and the shepherd lies down at the door of the enclosed space to protect his flock. I guess, this is where we get the term “laying down one’s life” from the fact that at night the shepherd literally lies down across the opening so that the sheep do not wander out and wolves do not get in. For sure, it is not comfortable at all for the shepherd but a good one would readily accept personal inconveniences for the good of his sheep. At the same time, he knows every single one of the sheep. Most importantly, the sheep being stubborn creatures have to be familiar with the voice of their master so they can stay close to the shepherd and to the flock to keep themselves protected from wolves, thieves and other dangers. If one gets lost, the shepherd would climb mountains and hills to look for it and call out its name. Whether it has fallen into a pit or is trapped in a bush of thorns, as soon as it hears the voice of its master, it will bleat and the shepherd will go and rescue it. That’s how important it is to know the shepherd’s voice.

As God’s flock, we must stay close to our Good Shepherd at all times for guidance and protection. We must learn how to submit ourselves to the promptings of the Lord in our lives. After all, we are used to following various rules and regulations — at home, in school, in the office, in government institutions, even on the road while driving. We follow these laws because we are confident that it is for our good and the good of the majority. If everyone is free to do as one pleases, there would surely be chaos. Even a child knows this. When a child confesses to being disobedient to his/her parents, I often ask if they believe that their parents only want what is best for them. If they say “YES”, I tell them to at least listen to them because they know it is for their own good. As followers of Christ, we practice the virtue of obedience wholeheartedly because we want to follow Christ, our Good Shepherd as closely as possible. 

To follow our Good Shepherd, we also need to be familiar with the voice of our Divine Shepherd. Learning by heart the voice of Jesus takes time and practice. That is learned through the discipline of praying — not just speaking and asking but listening to God’s will in our lives. We have to always listen attentively and consistently because there are many voices and noises out there that demand our attention. Someone once pointed out to me that if we look closely at the word “LISTEN”, when it is jumbled, it also spells “SILENT”. We need to be silent so we can listen to God’s voice through God’s Word in Scriptures.

Finally, brothers and sisters, let us then allow ourselves to be protected by the Good Shepherd by staying close to Him. Let us be obedient to Him. Let us be familiar with His voice. May we allow ourselves to be led by the Good Shepherd to verdant pastures, to a life that is abundant, to a life that is everlasting.