4th Sunday of Easter
In today’s Gospel, Jesus declared: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
There are three parts to this statement. The first is: “My sheep hear my voice.” Jesus is teaching us that when we hear his voice, we enter into a new relationship with him. He isn’t speaking about our ability to hear sounds coming from his mouth; he’s speaking about our ability to hear his message, digest it, and meld it into our every fiber.
The second part of the teaching is “I know them.” He’s declaring that he knows who we are. He sees the beauty of our hearts and minds. He knows our struggles. His knowledge of us is loving and non-judgmental because we’re in harmony with him and have heard his voice.
Lastly, “They follow me.” What does he mean? A scribe once told Jesus, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus immediately answered him. “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to rest his head.” Another disciple said to him, ‘Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” Jesus answered, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.”
Following Jesus is demanding. Remember when Jesus was preaching and someone told him his mother and brothers were outside and wanted to speak with him? His answer was shocking. “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother and sister and mother.”
Over the centuries, we Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, have created a great deal of wiggle room around his invitation to “Follow me.” We’ve pretty much cleansed his invitation of any of its radical implications. Now, let’s ask ourselves what it means to be a Christian.
Let Us Pray:
Today, I wish to offer my heavenly Father the gift of myself. Please stand with me as I take the first steps of this wonderful camino. Strengthen me that I may die to myself. May I no longer live – may Christ live in me. (Prayer in Honor of Saint Peter Julian Eymard).
