Are we destined for eternal life? Will we stand someday before the throne of God wearing white robes and waving palm leaves just as we did weeks ago? The heartfelt desire of everyone I imagine is “Yes!” and that is the Lord’s desire for us as well. As we heard moments ago, “I give them eternal life and they will not perish.”
Why does Jesus call his followers sheep? Why does the author of Revelation say, “the Lamb will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water? Why does our response to the psalm call us “his people, the sheep of his flock?”
Jesus is often described as being a good shepherd. That is one of the most beautiful images we have of Jesus. God chose shepherds, like Moses and David, to be Israel’s leaders. Prophets often spoke of Israel as a flock and God as their shepherd. It is interesting to note that among world religions, the image of shepherd and sheep is unique to Judaism and Christianity.
Consider the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. It reflects the loving caring relationship between God and us. Like a shepherd caring for his flock, God walks with his people and cares about them, their joys and sorrows.
But why does God use the image of shepherds and sheep? Why not cowboys and cattle? Herding cattle isn’t the same. You need a bunch of cowboys to drive a herd of cattle and they have to be prodded from behind.
Shepherding sheep is different. A shepherd walks in front of his flock, whistling, singing, or speaking. The sheep follow from behind, recognizing the voice of their shepherd. As long as they can hear the shepherd’s voice, they keep following. They have to stay close enough to hear his call. As long as the shepherd is close by, wolves will not attack. When a sheep falls behind and no longer hears the shepherd’s voice, there is the danger of getting lost or attacked.
When Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me,” he wants to stay close to us and he wants us to stay close to him so we will always hear his message, his good news of salvation. This way we can be led safely to the rich pastures and refreshing streams of a meaningful, joyful life, not just the eternal life we yearn for but also the good life we can experience here and now by heeding his advice.
Jesus is a shepherd leading us through the dark and dangerous valleys of this world by walking right beside us. He isn’t a cowboy prodding us from behind and keeping his distance. He wants to lead the way to living life more fully. We do that by hearing his voice.
Unfortunately life in today’s world is noisy so it isn’t always easy to hear his voice. We are bombarded with so many other distracting voices and images, drawing us away from Christ with their own agenda, yet Jesus confidently says, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me.” Are we listening to Jesus or not?
What enables us to stay close to him and avoid the traps set by those seeking to draw us away from Christ is prayer, one of God’s greatest gifts to us, which we often take for granted. Think of prayer as a conversation. So often, when we pray, we do the talking, but do we take time to listen? As our good shepherd, he is walking, talking and singing with us, so we can hear him and follow along.
Think of Jesus speaking to you when you read scripture, or listen to the readings here at Mass. No matter how noisy, dark or stormy our world becomes, Jesus knows how to make his voice heard in our hearts. We can hear our shepherd through prayer when we are alone in our quiet inner room or when we gather as a flock here at Mass.
The sheep that wander away and get stuck in a ravine or attacked by wolves cannot blame the shepherd for their misfortune. Likewise when our lives don’t fill us with the meaning we long for, instead of blaming God we should take an honest look at our prayer life. How often do you pray?
Hearing his voice depends on making time to listen. Our time to listen shouldn’t be limited to the Sunday liturgy. Think of the many opportunities we have to pray and hear the voice of the good shepherd: daily Mass, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the rosary at home or here on Fridays, the living light prayer time on Tuesday afternoons. On your own, there is scripture, many spiritual books in our library, and liturgy of the hours, the daily prayer said by priests and nuns.
Jesus wants us to deepen our friendship with him. As with any friendship, keeping in touch is the key. Not only taking time to pray daily but also striving, no matter how difficult it gets, to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
God is not a cowboy, riding behind us with a whip and dogs snapping at our heels. Instead, God has gathered us into his flock, hoping that we will follow him through this life to the threshold of eternal life. God expects that his voice will suffice to keep us together and prevent us from straying and getting lost. So, take time often to respond to that voice with prayer so that together as a community of faith we can make this a better world.