Sheep

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Sheep

My     Father

Hear     Voice     Follow

They Shall Never Perish

Eternal

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 10:27-30

Jesus said: "My sheep respond to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 

I gift them with eternal life, and they shall never perish.

No one can break them away from My hand.

My Father, who has gifted them to me, is more powerful than all, and no one can break them away from the Father's hand.

The Father and I are united."

Reflection

Sheep get to know the voice of the shepherd and will respond to only that special voice. A relationship has been established.

A priest I knew very well used to share an experience he had with sheep and shepherds. He had just finished lunch and was about to board a bus to continue his tour in the Holy Land.

He noticed some sheep gathered outside the restaurant. When the shepherds came out to gather them, the sheep responded to the voice of their shepherd and left the flock with him. 

They were all mixed together waiting but did not hesitate to leave the others with their own shepherd. He could not believe it as he saw this scene play out in front of him.

In some ways we are just like those sheep. We listen to many different voices. 

We are attracted to certain newscasters, celebrities, influences, musicians, athletes, and humorists. We can wind up dedicating a lot of our time to following them.

Many of those voices can have a positive effect on our lives and we can find them very helpful and enjoyable.

Some, however, we can find disappointing and misleading.  

Jesus tells us that if we want to follow Him, we have to listen to His voice. It is a voice that cares for us and surrounds us with Love. 

We have a beautiful image of that in our reading: Jesus is holding us with His hand. Imagine the deep Love that Jesus feels for us.

When we are struggling or disappointed with a "voice" that we might have been following, just reflect on that image.

Jesus is reaching out to you.

He wants to hold your hand and tells us that no one can take us out of His hand. Some might try to lead you in a different direction but they cannot succeed.

Jesus has you.

He won't let go! 

He wants to make sure that we don't perish. He leads us to eternal life.

Kathy's photo is from Good Shepherd Hospice in Port Jefferson. It is a special place of comfort and care for those who are close to death. 

Those who work there make a special effort to hold the hands of their patients and to lead them to the Good Shepherd.

1. Which voices are important for you?

2. Have you ever been disappointed by some of the voices you followed?

3. What is different about he voice of Jesus for you?

4. How has Jesus held your hand?

(scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)