Bible Study, Prayer, and Homily Resources
by Fr. Tommy Lane
Animals such as sheep and
cattle have a tag on their ear that identifies them. It is unique to
that animal, so it is a bit like a passport for that animal. In
Palestine at the time of Jesus, there was no tag number on the ear
of the animal. Instead, the shepherd knew all his sheep without any
such number because there was a relationship of trust between the
sheep and shepherd. The sheep knew the voice of their shepherd and
would only follow their shepherd and not any other shepherd.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses the image of a shepherd and his sheep
to teach about our union of trust and love with him: “My sheep hear
my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)
Instead of getting a tag on
our ear, we received God’s seal on us during baptism; we received
the Holy Spirit. We belong to God since baptism; we are God’s. As
Pope Leo said in his first Urbi et Orbi on Thursday just
after being elected:
God loves us, God
loves you all, and evil will not prevail! All of us are in God’s
hands. So, let us move forward, without fear, together, hand in hand
with God and with one another! We are followers of Christ.
Christ goes before us. (Pope
Leo XIV, Thursday, May 8, 2025)
Again, Jesus’ words in
today’s Gospel are, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they
follow me.” I think one example of listening to the voice of Jesus
these days was the cardinals in conclave. Many cardinals gave
interviews after the conclave without breaking the secrecy of the
conclave and their interviews give us an insight into them listening
to the voice of God speaking to them, helping them to choose the
next Pope. One such interview I watched was given by Cardinal
Vincent Nichols of Westminster. He said:
The whole thing
changed on Tuesday evening when the elector cardinals went to the
residence, the Santa Marta residence, and we were sealed in. Mobile
phones didn’t work; we couldn’t open the shutters. Secrecy was very
important. That gave a great calm in there more than I ever
expected. And quite frankly, for me it’s been quite a profound
spiritual experience, an experience of being with fellow cardinals
who all share the same dedication with our eyes and hearts focused
on one thing—trying to discern what God wants, in whose heart did
God write the name “Pope” . . . Unlike in the film, there was no
rancor, no explosions of unknown quantities and in fact the whole
time I didn’t hear a raised voice or a voice that was trying to do
somebody else down or even a voice that was saying, “Please vote for
me.” It was far calmer and more recollected than that…The conclave
days have been a wonderful experience. I went in intimidated, but I
found them to be lifegiving, to be a growth of confidence in me and
my fellow cardinals, and therefore a great hope for the Church as we
continue our pilgrim journey. It’s been really an excellent time for
me.
Jesus’ words in
today’s Gospel are, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they
follow me” and I think, based on what Cardinal Nichols and others
have said, the conclave was an example of listening to the voice of
Jesus and following it.
The voice of Jesus is not
the only voice that speaks to us. There are many voices broadcasting
all around us. But those who belong to Jesus listen to the voice of
Jesus. In his first homily to the cardinals the morning after his
election, Pope Leo spoke of the two reactions to Jesus in his
time—rejection or acceptance, reactions which we see today also.
There is the reaction of the world, “a world that considers Jesus a
completely insignificant person, at best someone with an unusual and
striking way of speaking and acting. And so, once his presence
becomes irksome because of his demands for honesty and his stern
moral requirements, this “world” will not hesitate to reject and
eliminate him.” The other
reaction to Jesus in his time, said Pope Leo, was that of ordinary
people who considered Jesus “an upright man, one who has courage,
who speaks well and says the right things, like other great prophets
in the history of Israel. That is why they follow him, at least for
as long as they can do so without too much risk or inconvenience.”
(Excerpts from
Homily of Pope Leo XIV, Friday May 9, 2025)
We have all been tagged, so
to speak, all sealed as belonging to God at baptism but we each
continually have a choice to make, a decision to make, concerning
whose voice we will listen to and follow. St. Thomas Aquinas,
commenting on today’s Gospel wrote, “I can see, thanks to the light
of the sun; but if I close my eyes, I cannot see: this is no fault
of the sun, it is my own fault, because by closing my eyes, I
prevent the sunlight from reaching me.” (Saint
John’s Gospel, The Navarre Bible, p122) We are Jesus’ sheep, and
he calls to us. We each have a decision to make: to continue
listening to the voice of Jesus and following him, or to use the
words of St. Thomas Aquinas, to open our eyes to the light of Jesus.
Why listen to the voice of Jesus? Because following Jesus is the
best way to live and the best way to find the happiness that God
desires for us.
Again, Jesus’ words in
today’s Gospel are:
My sheep hear my
voice;
I know them, and they
follow me. (John 10:27)
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2025
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for the Fourth Sunday Year C
Jesus, the Good Shepherd: we are in his hand 2016
Related Homilies: Jesus carries us and lays down his life for us
Second Reading Related: Revelation/Apocalypse (Saints in Heaven)