“The
Sheep that Belongs to Me”
Reflection for Tuesday
of the 4th Week of Easter
(Acts 11:19-26; Jn
10:22-30)
We continue to hear about the good
shepherd narrative. On Sunday Jesus introduced himself as the door through
which the sheep go in and out to find pasture and eternal life. Yesterday He
declared Himself as the good shepherd who lay down His life to keep His sheep
secure. Today he directs our focus to the sheep, and gives us the qualities of
His sheep.
“The Sheep that belongs to me listen
to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” To listen, the sheep must pay attention; and
for them to be attentive, they must be silent. Interior silence, that inner stillness
that waits on the Lord, a
contemplative attitude, is a habit we must acquire to have Jesus as our
shepherd. “Morning by morning he makes my ear alert to listen like a disciple. The Lord God has opened my ear and I have not resisted, I have not turned away” (Is
50:4-5). In walking side by side with Jesus our shepherd, we are supposed to be
passive towards Him. Then we can follow
in obedience despite the pull to act otherwise. In silence of heart we learn
the act of total surrender to Jesus that we might not succumb to wolves and
life problems. Lectio Divina and
other forms of mediation train us to be the sheep that belongs to Jesus.
“My sheep...shall never perish, and
no one shall steal them out of my hand.” Do you feel secure right now in Jesus
Christ? When difficulties come, dangers arise; the sense of security your faith
in Jesus gives you, is a sign to show if you have been following Jesus as your
shepherd. His words are not promises relegated to an unknown future. His words
are alive and active now. Take example from the first reading of today, how the
early Church felt secure and continued to flourish despite the persecutions and
internal organisational deficiencies among them. They knew then that the hand
of the Lord was with them. Still, where they met persecution, they relocated,
and where they achieved success, they rejoiced! This was how the Apostles sent
Barnabas to Antioch. On seeing the work on ground, he decided to bring Paul
from Tarsus to help him. “And it was in Antioch that the disciples were for the
first time called Christians.”
The Lord Jesus has declared Himself
for us as our Shepherd. He opened the Door to pasture and eternal life. The
whispers of His words are loud enough. We must take responsibility to position
ourselves as the sheep that belongs to Him by being attentive to His words. He
has a message for you today, and in every situation. We must learn the act of
silence; remove our attention from things that do not matter and sinful acts
that block our inner ear. It is a blessed day because Jesus is watching over you. Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic
Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Tuesday May 5th, 2020.
