Hearing the Shepherd's Voice

 

Article by Father Jonathan E Moore - LINK HERE 

4th Sunday of Easter          Hearing the Shepherd’s Voice. 

Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd. It is a familiar and appealing image, even though few of us ever see a shepherd with his sheep any longer. Our Lord’s image is not drawn from modern sheep farming, with scores of animals herded by a man on a quad bike. The shepherd Jesus had in mind belongs to an earlier age, an individual minding a fairly small flock, knowing each one of them, and every sheep knowing, trusting and heeding his voice. The Gospel we heard today speaks of a shepherd who is “the gate of the sheepfold”, who sleeps across the opening in the doorway to guard his flock from danger. 

We also heard of the intimacy of the relationship between shepherd and sheep:

“The sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out”

When Our Lord looks at today’s world, with its billions of people, He does not see a vast, faceless, anonymous crowd, but individual people - every  one of them known by name, and every one of them loved as though they were the only person in all creation. A very good way to begin a time of prayer is to be mindful of that. Jesus is looking at you. He is not looking at you as a judge or critic, neither is He looking out for any slips or falls: no, He looks at you all the time because He loves you so much that He simply can't take His eyes off you! The essence of prayer is to make that a mutual feeling, ourselves loving the Lord in and above all things.

I would like to spend these few minutes with you today thinking about our own response to the Lord’s loving gaze. The sheep, Jesus says, are attentive to the shepherd’s voice, and follow him when he calls.

It is necessary to listen in order to hear. It is also necessary to listen if we truly wish to communicate with another person. It is surprising how many people, when asked how they pray, begin by saying: “Well, I just talk to God.” Prayer which involves no more than that never gets one very far - it will always remain shallow and dissatisfying. The great Benedictine spiritual writer, Dom Hubert Van Zeller, described the sound of a human voice echoing around in the vast emptiness of the self-absorbed soul. A person who talks incessantly about himself is very boring - even to himself!

Let's just cast our minds back to last Sunday’s Gospel, the story of the Disciples on the Emmaus Road. What happened? Well, of course, they recognised Jesus in the Breaking of Bread, but their encounter up to that point is important too. Jesus joined Clophas and his companion and walked with them, even though they did not know it. He asked what was on their minds, and they told Him in no uncertain terms, pouring out their disappointment, shattered hopes and failing faith. There is no doubt that they had a lot to say, but the encounter didn't end there, did it? Jesus then began to speak to them, and lead them to an understanding of the true meaning of that first Easter. They stopped talking and started listening, and their hearts burned within them. This is true prayer - not talking to Jesus, but conversing with Jesus. All conversation demands both speaking and listening. Listening is how we hear.

We live in such a noisy, busy world that is is very hard indeed to “tune in” to the voice of Jesus alone. All around us is a turbulent ocean of voices, all saying different things. We can choose to take refuge in noise, it stops one thinking too deeply. Your radio or TV can be on from morning till night, when out in the car there is the radio or CD player, on the bike or walking, there's always the IPod or a phone glued to your ear! If we are not careful, even our prayer time can be about speech and music. True prayer flourishes in silence, and begins to grow when we learn how to “turn on the silence” around us - which generally involves finding the “off switch” for the tumult of noise that mostly surrounds us. Listening to His voice begins with listening for His voice and learning how to block out the interference. Shakespeare, no less, makes it clear that the “sound and fury” of life “signify nothing”; just like the Prophet Elijah, we must learn that God is not encountered in the crashing earthquake or howling wind, but in the still small voice of calm (1 Kings 19:12). 

Finding that “still small voice” is no easy task though, and as soon as we try to we find out how very hard it is, because the unrest and clamour outside are nothing compared with we encounter within our own selves. Don't be discouraged, and remember that with God quality always wins out over quantity. If you can only find two minutes in a day to be alone and silently mindful of God, make them very quiet and very attentive minutes. Make the best of what you have. Learning to listen to God in silence may very well take all your life, but what matters is not learning quickly, just learning it.

Let the last word go to the author Nicholas Sparks:

”We sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seems only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything and still feel content. The young, brash and impatient, must always break the silence. It is a waste, for silence is pure. Silence is holy. It draws people together because only those who are comfortable with each other can sit without speaking.” (“The Notebook”)

NOTE: Please pray for Father Jonathan Moore, a regular contributor to The Christian Lounge, who is not well currently. May God protect and heal him. Thank you.