Have you learned to hear Christ’s voice? Deacon Tommy O’Donnell, SJ, shares that our response to Christ’s call is to love and follow him. Based on the readings from the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Do you hear Christ’s voice?
Hi, I’m Deacon Tommy O’Donnell, and this is my one-minute homily.
Jesus says in today’s gospel, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” Interestingly, three verbs are used in these first sentences: Hear, know, and follow.
As disciples, we must learn to hear the voice of Christ! Christ takes the first initiative – It’s God who does the calling. And we must listen. When we truly listen to someone, we spend time with them. We strive not simply to get the next word in but to internalize the message that the other conveys. PRAYER is an essential way that we listen to the voice of Jesus.
The next verb is to know. Jesus says, “I know them.” In the Bible, to know means to love. By listening to Jesus, we appreciate how much He loves us, and we begin to truly love Him.
The natural next step is to follow Him. And this, fittingly, is the final verb. Knowing that we are loved, and lovingly LISTENING to Jesus, we follow Him. We live our lives as he has shown us.