Know the Shepherd

Today’s Gospel Text:  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one." John 10:27-30

Reflection: Whose voice do these sheep follow? Is it not the voice of Christ Jesus? 

Is he alive or dead? He is indeed alive

Is he with us or not? Though he is alive, visibly he is not with us, but invisibly he is with us, yet in all this he is visible to those who seek him earnestly.

If we have to listen to his voice then, how would modern psychiatry look at it? They may say, if you are hearing voices then you have a psychological problem and may bracket you with similar cases of paranoids.

Now there are various ways we can hear the voice of our beloved but prior to knowing we need to have him as our beloved.

We cannot have someone as our beloved without spending time with the person; thru prayer, word and sacrament and fellowship with his chosen ones.

When we do the above then even in our quite moments it will be moments when the beloved speaks through these interactions of daily life.

He the shepherd could then speak even through others and through creation, but they are not primary modes through which he speaks.  He speaks through them because we know him and thus we are able to pick up his voice through these intermediaries too, who may occasionally or always imitate him.

It is like a person telling me that I sometimes hear my father speak through you because you resemble so very much like him or the way you express is like him and he used to use similar phrases or had similar characteristics.

Thus, by first knowing the beloved we are able to hear his voice everywhere we go and at anytime.

It can rarely happen that we should hear the beloved speak through intermediaries, whether it be the poor or the marginalized or be it anyone or anything, if we do not know the beloved Shepherd intimately.

Prayer:  Thank you Jesus for opening my eyes to your wisdom, let me seek to know you and your love so that I may see your presence everywhere and listen to your voice wherever I go.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Watch Not

Today’s Gospel Text:  One Sabbath when he went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him.

7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he marked how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 "When you are invited by any one to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man than you be invited by him; 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 14:1, 7-11

Reflection: Why would one watch and more so watch over Jesus?

It could be either to imitate him or to see what faults they could find in order to condemn him.

As for us the safest thing to do before watching over someone or sending people as spies to watch over others is to watch over our hearts and mind first and see if we are right with God.

This also applies to those in authority and those who want to exercise authority over people by watching over them in order to discern their ways or simply spy on them.

By deliberately seeking to watch over people whom we may want to target, we are bound to fail, especially if it involves the work of God.  

    

"For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" 1 Cor 2:16

Ideally, if one wants to discern the authenticity of a person so as to discern whether they are God’s servant then the best thing to do is not to watch over that person but to watch in prayer for God’s insight about the person.

The human mind is limited and even petty in the light of the large heartedness of God and bound to make mistakes when it comes to judging a spiritual man.  He cannot be judged by anyone. (cfr. I Cor. 2:15)

On the other hand we could watch over a person in order to imitate him, yet it is never safe to do so without seeking the wisdom of God.  There are many who have been deceived by men in assumed humility but inside have been ravenous wolves. (cfr. Mt. 7:15)

These categories are not always found outside the church or among the laity but could be among the hierarchy too.  Hence the great need to trust in God, which is never an option, and carry on with life.

Prayer:  Lord, deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men. Ps 59:2

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us