Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
We are now one month past Easter and Scripture is keeping us fully involved in the daily lives of the Apostles. Amidst all the controversies and persecution we are privileged to have Luke’s insight as witness to the fledgling Christian community. There are disagreements. There are opposing views. It is not an easy trek, even amongst the leaders such as Peter and Paul. Their personal experiences and the power of the Holy Spirit compel them to proclaim the Lord Jesus and lead the early Church. All they speak and feel and express is founded upon their personal experiences of Jesus...they recognize of the voice of their ‘Shepherd’.
The reading from Acts relates a basic controversy faced by early Christians. Why would God invite Gentiles to community and salvation, in particular without their following all the laws applied to the Jews who converted? They may have felt cheated, in a way, because they had lived their lives under strict adherence to the ‘law’. We can surely understand this normal human reaction. It seems that people should somehow ‘earn’ their share in the ultimate gift. But Peter says, “If God gave them he same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?” (Acts 11:17) Through the voices of these apostles, the people were able to recognize the voice of their Shepherd. The passage from Gospel of St John today relates Jesus’ parable of the Good Shepherd. “...the sheep will follow him, because they recognize his voice.” (Jn 10:4b) Now just as the people of the early Christian communities, we have received the Holy Spirit by the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Inasmuch as we genuinely live as disciples of Christ, led by the Spirit of God, we can discern the voice of our Good Shepherd as they did.
Do I live my daily life in such a way that increases my capacity to receive the Holy Spirit and know Jesus ever more intimately? Do I work every single day to know Jesus better than the day before? The answers to these questions help me realize what work I need to do to better recognize the voice of the Jesus, Good Shepherd.
"Dear Shepherd of my very soul and existence,
Let me hear your voice today,
May I place every single voice aside but yours.
Only you, my Precious Shepherd,
Know what it is I need at this time.
With the intercession of Our Blessed Mother,
Through the Holy Spirit of God,
Amen."
--Gail Lyman