Jesus said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers. I am the good shepherd.” 

"Try to leave a light on when I’m gone, something I rely on to get home, one I can feel at night, a naked light, a fire to keep me warm. Try to leave a light on when I’m gone. Even in the daylight, shine on, and when it’s late at night you can look inside. You won’t feel so alone. You know we’ve been down that road what seems a thousand times before. Sometimes it feels like we’ve run out of luck when the signal keeps on breaking up."    

The man in the relationship in David Cook's song wants to rely on the love feeling that he has had in the past, but he is not certain that it will happen again. For some reason, the "signal keeps on breaking up" and he does not know whether he can rely on the love to be present or not. His song brings up the whole question of what we rely on in our lives. The person in his song relies on the light of a possible love relationship, and he sings about a situation that is common to young people who are beginning to discover whether a romantic love is present or not. But, thinking further, what or who do we rely on if we want our lives to make sense?

There are many good answers to the question--the natural virtues of responsibility, faithfulness, fairness, and the like come to mind. Spiritual answers can also be given--the spiritual virtues of faith, hope and love, for example. Jesus says that his followers should rely on him as sheep rely on a shepherd. He will be a shepherd who speaks to his sheep who in turn will recognize his voice. He will be a shepherd who leads his sheep, and the sheep will follow him.  

Human beings must have some things that they can rely on. The world is fast-paced, exciting, challenging and demanding. It is easy to be swept along at a hectic pace, thinking only of careers, status, and what we want, living chaotic lives that are often out of control. There must be something that helps us slow down and achieve the inner peace and real happiness that a human being is meant to have. Christians find such solace in the presence of their good shepherd who directs them with his voice in the Gospels. Our task is to recognize his voice in such a way that it becomes so familiar to us that we will want to follow him without hesitation.               

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son became our good shepherd because you knew that we needed something to rely on here on earth. Give us the grace to truly recognize his voice. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America