Blog Archives

The Shepherd's Voice

28/4/2023

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, April 30th, 2023:
The Fourth Sunday of Easter

John
10.1-10

Jesus said: “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

I recently watched (not for the first time by any stretch) the movie Prince of Egypt, an animated film about the story of Moses. I was curious about which actors had voiced some of the parts and, when I looked them up online, I was blown away by the information about how the filmmakers chose to represent the voice of God. In the movie, God’s words are expressed by many of the actors at the same time, forming a kind of chorus, avoiding any speculation about who exactly God might sound like. In the scene where Moses encounters God in the burning bush, the voice that stands out most strongly is that of Val Kilmer, the same actor who voices Moses.

This strikes me as a most beautiful theology. God speaks to us in the voices of all those around us, in varying ways and in different measures. And so often when He speaks most clearly, God speaks using our own voice. We hear Him in our conscience, in our souls, in the deep understanding and convictions that He places on our hearts.

We run to God, the Good Shepherd, because we know His voice. He is the one who speaks truly and calls us by our name. His voice is familiar to us in some measure because it is the voice that He gifts to each of us in the mystery of our creation. There may be many false shepherds who try to lead us astray in this world, but we will not go astray while we look and listen for the voice of the Good Shepherd, who is more present to us than we are to ourselves. May we always follow where He leads us.

Sr. Gemma MacLeod

2 Comments

The Shepherd and Guardian of My Soul

27/4/2023

4 Comments

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, April 30th, 2023:
The Fourth Sunday of Easter

1 Peter
2.20b-25

Beloved: If you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.

Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the Cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

We have heard of people being influencers and role models. Could you ever imagine that there would be a role model for suffering? Our Lord Jesus is the prototype of the suffering servant. He is the example of endurance in the face of hardship.

At this point in time, my suffering encompasses ambiguity about my future. I love my job, my friends, my students, my apartment, and I love living by myself. I love having the freedom to travel whenever I want to and to meet up with family in different parts of the world. But, every so often, the evil of uncertainty raises its head. Questions – such as, why am I single, will I ever be married and have a family of my own, am I meant to have a family of my own - they torment me and cause me anguish. It’s at moments like these that I need God’s grace in order to recognize that I cannot say that I trust God and still want to control everything that is happening in my life. I have to let go and let God. I have to trust that His plan for my life is most beautiful, even if I have no sweet clue what it is.

I had the blessing of visiting St. Joseph’s Oratory this March on the Feast of St. Joseph. St. Joseph has always been very dear to my heart, and being at the Oratory and witnessing the crutches left behind in the crypt there made me realize that I am privileged to be a Catholic and to descend from a long line of saints, especially St. Joseph, who are constantly interceding for me in the midst of my earthly trials. Whenever I go astray or get confused, I can always turn to the example of the saints who constantly had Jesus before their eyes and minds, as their role model. If they can endure their suffering, so can I, because I too am called to be a saint.

Jesus, I need Your help to be patient and to surrender all of the timelines that exist in my head. You know me the best. Time and again I stray away from You, like a stubborn sheep. Do not let go of me as I return to You, “the shepherd and guardian” of my soul. Amen.

Rebecca Dmello

4 Comments

How Like Sheep

26/4/2023

0 Comments

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, April 30th, 2023:
The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Psalm 23

R. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.

R. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me.

R. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want

You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

R. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want

Have you ever driven past a field of sheep on a spring day and wondered in how many ways we humans are similar to sheep? Not very likely! But if you look “under the hood,” the parallels are endless. There are three specifically that are worth highlighting.

First, without someone in charge, sheep will wander aimlessly. We, too, look for someone or, more often than not, something to lead us along in life, often without too much thought on whether that direction is wise or in our best interest.

Second, if the weight of their fleece is too heavy, sheep often tip over onto their backs and will stay there until they are set back on their feet or die trying. I really like the symbolism here – for how often are we “weighed down” by things on our backs so that we wallow and wait for someone to save us and set us on our feet? Or, conversely, How often do we keep trying to rise out of a difficult situation by our own devices because we’re unwilling to admit that we are in a bind and, in our pride, we keep trying to solve the challenges in life without guidance from our brothers and sisters in Christ?

Third, like sheep we are not designed to carry loads on our backs, although we often take on the entire “load of life” on our shoulders alone.

The truth is, if Jesus truly is our Shepherd, then that makes us His sheep. While sheep may not be the brightest animals in the barn, they are unfailingly loyal and attentive to someone whom they trust. They listen to their shepherd, and they know his voice.

This Sunday we pray the most familiar of all the psalms, Psalm 23, The Lord Is My Shepherd. It reminds us that we are called to be part of the flock that relies on Jesus.

Trust Him. Listen to Him. Spend time with Him. Humbly follow Him. Jesus is now, and will forever be, the ultimate Shepherd. If we follow Him, we will never be led astray.

Patty Viscount

0 Comments

Cut to the Heart

25/4/2023

2 Comments

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, April 30th, 2023:
The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts
2.14a, 36b-41

When the day of Pentecost had come, Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd. “Let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Now when the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other Apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”

And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day were added about three thousand souls.

If you follow the ebbs and flows of the Old Testament, you may notice a pattern. God’s people are gathered, then scattered, then gathered again, then scattered. At the time of Jesus, things were tense – not at their worst, but not good either. Politically, the Roman Empire was in power and, while it was tolerant of non-Roman religions, it was deeply skeptical of the Jewish worship of only one God. There were pauses in violence, but no true peace. The Israelites believed that God wanted to empower a leader who would govern both politically and spiritually, gathering them once and for all. There was a deep ache and profound desire for this saviour to arrive.

This historical context is essential for understanding just what Peter says when he preaches in this Sunday’s First Reading: “Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Peter is saying to the people of Jerusalem: “Your saviour came, and you missed it.” The people who hear him are heartbroken. They fear it’s too late. They ask: “What should we do?”

This is where the distinction between guilt and shame becomes crucial. Both start with a realization that we’ve sinned, that our sin has hurt us and the people we love, that we’ve separated ourselves from God just as He was trying to reach out to us. But the next step is what separates guilt from shame – do we believe we can be forgiven?

Shame tells us that our sin defines us. Shame says we’ll never be the same again. Shame says it’s too late. When shame wins, we feel despair. Guilt tells us that we’ve gone down the wrong path too but, in contrast to shame, it inspires us to repent – a word that literally means to turn around. Guilt empowers us to fix it and try again. Guilt can be overwhelming at times, and it is clear that the crowd Peter was preaching to was overwhelmed – but, still, they wanted to believe that it wasn’t the end.

Peter’s preaching made it clear to the crowd: It’s not too late. If you’re ready to repent, God will forgive you and the Holy Spirit will be with you. That day, three thousand people said no to shame and yes to grace.

This was a one-time event in history, but it is repeated every day. Many of us struggle with shame, and this reading is a reminder that our shame is not of God. If my faith journey was mapped out, it wouldn’t be a straight line down a narrow path; instead, it would have many wanderings off into the wilderness. But, if you were to follow the footprints, each wandering would end with a 180-degree turn back toward God.

If you feel thoroughly lost, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a great place to ask of God, “What should I do?” This is the Good News: there is always a way back to Him.

Jenna Young

2 Comments

<<Previous

The Shepherd's Voice

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, April 30th, 2023:​The Fourth Sunday of Easter

The Shepherd and Guardian of My Soul

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, April 30th, 2023:​The Fourth Sunday of Easter

How Like Sheep

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, April 30th, 2023:The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Cut to the Heart

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, April 30th, 2023:The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Archives

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, April 30th, 2023:
The Fourth Sunday of Easter

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, April 30th, 2023:
The Fourth Sunday of Easter

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, April 30th, 2023:
The Fourth Sunday of Easter

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, April 30th, 2023:
The Fourth Sunday of Easter