(Song)  “When he calls me, I will answer (3x’s); I’ll be somewhere listening for my name…

Our gospel reading today, from the tenth Chapter of John, reminds us, as Jesus’ disciples, that our Lord, The Good Shepherd knows us by name and reminds us of the importance of listening to His voice.

After the crucifixion and death of Jesus, the Christians were suffering hardships and persecution.  Not only did they have to deal with the customary distresses of life, but they faced questions such as, “Would they be arrested?  And if so, how would they die?”   So, John reached out to minister to the temptations and insecurities of the people of his day by helping them to remember some of the words that Jesus spoke to them long before He was crucified.  

"Jesus," says John, "is the Good Shepherd." He is the trustworthy one who is willing to lay down his life for his sheep.  So, we are challenged to trust Jesus to shepherd us safely through life. Yes we can follow the voice of Jesus into the green pastures, for he says, "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me."  

The call of our Lord, however, is very often "hidden" in a whole chorus of worldly voices that call out to us. Other “would-be” shepherds seek to call us away from the Good Shepherd, away from the joy of his forgiveness and away from the security of his love.  

I am reminded of the story of an American tourist who was traveling in the Mid-East. He came upon several shepherds whose flocks had intermingled while drinking water from a brook. After an exchange of greetings, one of the shepherds turned toward the sheep and called out, "Manah, Manah, Manah." (Manah means "follow me" in Arabic.)

Immediately his sheep separated themselves from the rest and followed him.

Another shepherd called out in the same way and his sheep left the common flock to follow him. The traveler then said to the third shepherd, "I would like to try that. Let me put on your cloak and turban and see if I can get your sheep to follow me."

The shepherd smiled knowingly as the traveler wrapped himself in the cloak, put the turban on his head and called out to the remaining sheep to no avail. Not one of them moved toward him.

"Will the sheep ever follow someone other than you?" The traveler asked.
The shepherd replied, "Sometimes a sheep gets sick, and then it will follow anyone."

Many of us, young and old, experience the sickness of being battered by the storms of life, and distracted by voices urging us to go in various directions that can very often lead to a sense of hopelessness, despair, or emotional or spiritual trauma that urges the following of anyone or anything that promises a moment of happiness, or a brief feeling of peace.

Some have resorted to abandoning the church and therefore forfeiting the warmth of fellowship, the power of forgiveness and the gifts of grace. The false gods leave them feeling deserted, lost, and bewildered.  

Our very lives depend on our choosing the option of following the Good Shepherd, and to declare with our lips and our lives that he is indeed the Way, the Truth and the Life. This one and only Good Shepherd calls out to us in our heartbreak and our loneliness.  He calls out to us in our frustration and our guilt.

This Good Shepherd brings His love to our lovelessness.  This Good Shepherd brings His power to our powerlessness. This Good Shepherd stands by His promise,   "I give you life eternal and nothing in all creation will ever be able to snatch you out of my hand."

It is true that coping with our fears is a terrific battle; sometimes it seems overwhelming.  I don’t know about you, but I need a Shepherd who will tower over my life so that I can rest, knowing his mighty power will sustain me through it all.

There is no other Way! There is no more liberating Truth!  There is no greater strength for Life!

My sisters and my brothers, it is my privilege today to invite you to listen to the call of the Good Shepherd, to accept his invitation to let him be your God.   Listen to him.

• Listen to Him in the transforming words of the Bible.  The Bible is full of illustrations of how God uses people to communicate His love, His mercy and His grace.  
• Listen to Him through the words of others who love and care about us.
• Listen to Him in that small tiny voice in your heart that makes us feel sorry for the wrong that we’ve done.  
• Listen to Him in the events of our lives (Difficulties and hurdles in our path are very often there to build our character and strengthen our faith.  
• Listen to Him in the events of our lives (Difficulties and hurdles in our path are very often there to build our character and strengthen our faith).  
• Listen to Him!  He comes declaring his love and promising to be our God forever.

It is always interesting for me to note that the miracles that propelled St. Katharine Drexel, the foundress of my religious community, to canonization on October 1, 2000 were both miracles of hearing.

Both miracles invite us all to listen more and perhaps to talk less.  In fact, I recall someone saying once that it has to be significant that God gave us only one mouth and two ears.

My sisters and brothers, on this Fourth Sunday of Easter, let us remember that we belong to Jesus, who loves us far more than we can ever hope for or imagine.   His only purpose is to be the Good Shepherd Who promises us safe passage through the uncertainties of life. That is the only good news I have for you today.  We have nothing to lose in following Him-but everything to gain.  He is the Way of salvation.  He is the Truth that endures forever. He is the Life that never ends.

Song: Yes, I’ll be somewhere listening.  I’ll be somewhere, listening.  
I’ll be somewhere listening for my name.”