Psalm Reflection: The Fourth Sunday of Easter - Cycle C

“We are his people, the sheep of his flock.” - Psalm 100

We had a “team row” at the gym today for about ten minutes of our workout. This involved about a dozen of us, all in a line, keeping pace with the one or two people on the center rowing machines. You would think this would be easy, but the leaders do not always stay in sync, or maintain the same rhythm. So, you are constantly having to watch them and make adjustments.

I was thinking today how much easier it would be if someone just called out the moves of the row to keep us on pace: “Row!” “Row!” “Row!” Then, we could each focus on the one singular voice and stay aligned as a team. 

I feel like that is how the Christian journey is. We can often try to mimic others or seek answers from our peers when it comes to the spiritual life, and, when we do, we make our adjustments until we realize we are off rhythm and have to adjust again and again and again. However, if we all listened to the voice of the Lord, and followed where He led us, we would all collectively get where we need to be, even if that involves taking different routes to get there.

The world, social media, the news, our family, and our friends can all become a cluster of voices and opinions trying to tell us how to live. Have you ever asked someone for advice and had them say no? Probably not, because, even if we have nothing valuable to say, we all love to share our thoughts and opinions, even if we have to come up with them on the spot! The point is, there are so many voices competing for our time and attention that it is often hard to hear the voice of God in the midst of it.

Sheep know the unique call of their shepherd. Hundreds of other shepherds can come along and call them, but they will not budge until they hear the voice of their own. That is how we are called to be with Jesus. We are meant to listen to His voice alone. Every piece of advice, every opinion, and every message we receive should be processed through the filter of: “does this sound like Jesus?” 

We also cannot forget that the Devil is always throwing his voice at us, trying to compete with the voice of Jesus or even deceive us by trying to sound like the Lord. We must be on our guard and heavily scrutinize every voice that comes our way. We must be prudent and cautious as to what voices we allow in, entertain, and let persuade us. 

Jesus says in the Gospel this Sunday:

My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. - John 10:27-28

That means that eternal life is on the line when it comes to recognizing and following the voice of God. However, when we do listen to Jesus, He ensures us that no one can take us away from Him. Our listening provides a path for relationship, freedom and victory over sin and death. Those are high stakes.

So, this week, listen for the voice of God. Spend time in silent prayer, in Scripture, and in seeking advice from faithful people who seem like they listen to the Lord and sound like Him. Try to eliminate some of the noise and the sources of unhealthy voices in your life. Pay attention to the difference in the level of peace and contentment you feel, and continue perfecting your ability tor recognize the call of your shepherd. Feel free to ignore all the rest of the noise that comes your way.

I am praying for you, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt