Dcn Brigid Waszczak

“…the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” —John 10: 3-4

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Jesus used metaphor to teach his disciples and the Pharisees: “… the sheep listen to [the shepherd’s] voice. He calls his own sheep by name… and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” Isn’t it ironic that neither the disciples nor the Pharisees understood what he was telling them when THE shepherd, Jesus, stood right in front of them, and spoke directly to them?

The Pharisees were in their heads and their rule book. The disciples were in “literal-land.” And Jesus was in figure-of-speech-mode, describing relationship using familiar images he thought would resonate with them, yet they failed to follow his logic. Listening is about being attuned to the speaker. It is about becoming those sheep who listen for the voice of their shepherd. Jesus is talking to men who believed they came to God by following rules. But Jesus is saying they need to listen for and be drawn to God by listening for His voice.

Animals are plugged-in. Sheep are drawn to the voice of their shepherd; pets are alert to our voices and come when called. We consider ourselves superior to animals, but our thinking minds often keep us from being plugged-in to God’s voice. The roar of our own thoughts drowns out the Shepherd’s voice. Blue screens, TV, podcasts, playlists, texts, and emails distract and hurtle us from one soundbite to the next leaving little silence in our days.

Four kids kept our house quite noisy. Once they all entered school, the absence of my children’s voices was deafening. For a while, I played TV as background noise. But eventually, I learned to love the silence. Only then, did I begin to hear a quiet Call. The more time I spent in silence, the louder the Call grew. A loud, quiet call—what an oxymoron! It took many more years of hearing that Call before I had the courage to do what God asked of me: leave the Roman Catholic church to seek ordination as an Episcopal deacon. Had I continued to fill my days with background noise, I might never have heard God’s voice.

This scripture passage is Jesus teaching his disciples and Pharisees that it is important to listen for the voice of the Shepherd. God speaks to us if only we would stop long enough to listen.

May it be so.

—Dcn Brigid