Voices
- We’re not as Smart as Sheep
(With influence by the voice of Fr. Ron
Rolheiser, OMI )
I’ve always heard how dumb sheep are
from the voices of characters on television westerns when I was young.
From the voices of priests and the
Bible, I heard a good shepherd knows his sheep. He is there when his sheep need him or in
danger or get lost. The sheep know this and they know the shepherd. They know
his voice.
Other voices in my life have told me
that a shepherd can look out at all those white wooly sheep and tell them
apart.
Before sheep farming became a big
business, shepherds would come at night to a common enclosure for protection.
The next morning going their separate ways, each shepherd would call to their
sheep and the sheep would follow their shepherd’s voice. And they couldn’t be fooled; others shepherds
would try to imitate another shepherd’s voice to steel sheep, but the sheep would
only come to the voice of their shepherd. In the mix of voices calling sheep, even
the false voices calling to them, a sheep followed the voice of his protector,
its good shepherd.
My inner voice tells me that we’re a lot
like sheep; but, maybe we’re not as smart as sheep. We don’t always recognize
the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. We don’t recognize the voice of God.
We live surrounded by voices. Voices found
on television, radio, internet, and news sources. Voices heard from spouses,
children, friends, teachers, and employers. Voices come to us that are jealous,
envious, petty, angry, and hateful. Voices invite us to greatness if we follow
the trends, buy this or that. Voices call out hatred and anger disguise as good.
Voices call out love and forgiveness; and, these may be disguised as well. Voices
calling right and voices calling wrong. So many voices speaking the way of the
world as vital and important, but always, the voice with ultimate truth is God’s.
In all these voices, which is God’s
voice? How do we recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd? There’s no easy
answer, so many times all these voices are disguised as the voice of truth. The voice of God is always true and always good.
The prophet Jeramiah warns the people of
Israel that the priests have called to the people with voices that are not of
God. Voices disguised as truth have ultimately misled the sheep and scatter the
flock; driven them away. Their voices were confusing and wrong. Through Jeramiah’s
voice, God calls his sheep promising he will send a shepherd.
Jesus, whose heart was moved with pity
seeing a people without a shepherd. Jesus is the good shepherd who teaches many
things. His voice is comforting, protecting, and good. It calls for us to follow
the shepherd. We hear His voice and it teaches us many things that can tear down
dividing walls set up by the voices of all the others.
So we go back to the question - how do
we know God’s voice? How do we recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd?
Sometimes the best we can do is to trust
in our gut feeling that comes from our morals, beliefs, and traditions.
Remember that the voice of God is always good.
Remembering what Paul said that is was a
voice of peace that reconciles us to God. It is a voice that tears down dividing walls. The
Gospel found in many things.
Jesus taught many things like listening
for the voice of God:
- The voice of God recognized in life, joy, health, and humor and at the same time recognized by the dying, suffering and the poor in spirit.
- God’s voice that calls us higher, sets us apart, and invites us to be holy and at the same time calls us to humility.
- God’s voice that is heard in our enjoyment and gratitude for life, as it asks us to deny ourselves.
These are ways in which we hear God’s
voice.
Jesus Christ the word of God, the Good
Shepherd, the voice of peace that calls to the scattered sheep.
Hear his voice. Hear his words. Follow
his voice and come to God.
No comments:
Post a Comment