He Knows us and We Know Him

4th Sunday of Easter (C); May 8, 2022

Acts 13:14,43-52.  Ps 100.   Rv 7:9,14b-17.  Jn 10:27-30

Deacon Jim McFadden

            In today’s Gospel from John, Jesus is presented to us as the true Shepherd of the people of God, who is the Church.  As such, the relationship that binds our Lord to us, the sheep of his flock is truly unique.  To begin with the relationship is one of mutual recognition.  We hear, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they never perish.  No one can take them out of my hand” (Jn 10:27-28).  As we ponder this very rich passage, it reveals how our Lord relates to us: namely, Jesus speaks; Jesus knows; Jesus gives eternal life; Jesus safeguards.

            Jesus, the Good Shepherd is attentive to each one of us.  We experience that when we go into prayer; in the transition from ordinary consciousness to sacred awareness, we just know that we are in the presence of our Lord, which the author of Deuteronomy says so poignantly: “For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?” (Dt 4:7).  And, when we ask God why he is so available, the answer is clear: he loves us, which is why he speaks to us, knowing the depths of our heart and what we all yearn.  He knows our hopes and concerns, as well as our failures and the messiness of our lives.  Nonetheless, he accepts us as we are, with our virtues and our faults.  More to it, he “gives us eternal life”—right here, right now, not in some distant future.  If we accept his incredible generous offer, we not only have hope for our ultimate destiny, but he offers us the opportunity to live a full life, a life that will never end.  Moreover, as we journey through time, he lovingly accompanies us every step of the way helping us to navigate problematic paths and sometimes dangerous roads that appear in our life.

            Jesus is the Good Shepherd and the designation is apropos because he interacts with us in the same way that a shepherd does with his sheep.  They hear his voice and they follow him.  Hearing and recognizing his voice reflect an intimacy with him, which is strengthened and nurtured by prayer.  Indeed, without going into the Quiet, how could we come to know our Lord?  In prayer, we talk heart-to-heart with Jesus, knowing that he is listening, that he witnesses what we are going through, that he hears our cry and lament, and understands full well what we are suffering (cf. Ex 3:7).  We all want to be heard and listened to and Jesus does so every time we call upon him: he’s never MIA.  This intimacy with Jesus, this openness of revealing all to him and holding nothing back, this speaking with him on a daily and regular basis, reinforces in us the desire to follow him.  We’re not going to give our ultimate allegiance to an abstraction, to a metaphysical or cultural construct, but we will surrender ourselves to a Person who loves us unconditionally.  That’s why we’re willing to leave our old wineskins, the labyrinth of dysfunctional and errant ways, abandoning individualistic selfish behavior in order to set out of a radically new path of communion with God and solidarity with our brothers and sisters, which is realized through self-giving generosity in imitation of our Lord Jesus. 

            Brothers and sisters, let us not forget that Jesus is the only Shepherd who can bring us home.  There are no substitutes.  Why?  He is the one who speaks to us 24/7, knows us and loves us anyway (!), gives us eternal life, and safeguards us.  Who else can do all of these? Moreover, we are the only flock that he has and we’re not in competition with anyone else.  We just have to hear his voice, while he loving examines the sincerity of our hearts and heals what is wounded within. 

            And from this constant intimacy with our Good Shepherd, from this ongoing conversation with him, we are allowing ourselves to be guided to the fulness of eternal life.  May we live out of our baptismal and Confirmation commitments as we willingly accept Christ’s call to discipleship and be co-workers with Jesus in proclaiming the Gospel and be his instruments to bring about the Kingdom of God in our time and our place.  Amen.