Hello, I’m Jeff Cavins. Today, we’re looking at the scriptures for the fourth Sunday of Easter. The scripture reading in the Gospel is very short but very powerful. Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” As we look at the life of Jesus and review it, we can see that his goal was, as a lamb, to listen to his father. He listened to his father for instructions on what to do in his life, and he carried out every aspect of his father’s will. He was the faithful lamb of God.
But we’ll see that this lamb is also a shepherd. In the book of Revelation, reading in the scriptures, we see that God speaks to his people on a regular basis. But oftentimes, we don’t put ourselves in a situation where we can hear or even really believe that God speaks to us. The Catechism teaches us that God created us in such a way that we can speak to him. But the beautiful thing is that not only can we speak to God, but he created you in such a way that you can actually hear his voice.
So I want to ask you, do you know the voice of God? Do you know what the voice of God sounds like? He wants you to listen, and he has things to say to you. He wants you to walk in his perfect will. Hearing the voice of the Lord starts with a response. We’re responding to his desire to speak to us. And this week in your life, God wants to say something to you.
So how do you hear the voice of the Lord? Well, there are two aspects that I want to share with you. One is that it starts in the heart of the church. We come to the church, and we listen to the Word of God every Sunday. We listen to the teachings of the church in the Catechism and the Saints and the Holy Father as he instructs us. We get to know the tone in the voice of the shepherd.
But we don’t do it alone. We need the church. But when we hear the voice of the Lord in the readings, when we hear his will proclaimed in church doctrine, then it comes down to us spending time privately with the great Shepherd, listening to his voice. What is he saying to you? And that’s a discipline in life, that’s a habit. And I want to encourage you today to make it a goal in your life to come to know his voice so that you can respond to his will, carry out his will in your life, and one day you’ll hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
You can cultivate knowing the voice of the Lord by going to church regularly, going to confession regularly, but setting up a schedule in your life where you and the great Shepherd, the one that loves you, spend time together. Lectio Divina is a great practice. It’s the ancient art of praying Scripture and talking to God and allowing him to speak to you. Choosing a scripture every day and meditating on it and allowing it to sink deep down in your heart, day after day, week after week, month after month.
Honestly, can you think of anything more valuable in the midst of your busy day at work and at home and with all your relatives and your neighbors and paying the bills and everything else? Is there anything really more valuable than knowing his voice in your life? Once again, “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” Do you know that voice?
Video Source
- Title: Recognize the Voice of the Shepherd
- Author: Jeff Cavins
- Source: YouTube: Sundays with Ascension
- Aired: April 12, 2016
- AscensionPress.com
Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church 