My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
POINTERS FOR PRAYER
1. Jesus tells us that we can rely on his relationship with us. Think of the relationships you have in which you feel safe and secure because there is mutual understanding and the relationship has stood the test of time.
2. Jesus says that the disciple is one who listens. What is your experience of listening to the word of God in the Scriptures? To what other voices have you listened to and found guidance?
3. The faithful disciple is also one who follows the path of love that Jesus preached and practiced. Although it may be difficult at times, it is in following it we find life. Where have you had the experience of listening, responding, loving, and finding life?
The imagery of the shepherd, however, takes us back to the previous Good Shepherd discourse from 10:1ff. and should be read in light of that. The question asked in v. 24 is the core question of the whole Gospel: who is Jesus. The answer given in v. 30 is, in this Gospel, the cause of Jesus’ death.
Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. By recent tradition, on this Sunday we reflect on and pray for vocations to ministry, in the community of faith, the church. Of course, times have changed and it may be that we are no longer sure about “vocations” or indeed what we should pray for.
If the wider community is not just to survive but even to flourish, we will need good leadership, good pastors, reliable spiritual guides. In our day, the lack of vocations to ordained ministry represents a challenge and opportunity to the community of faith. It is a challenge: in the short-term who will be the pastors, leading us in service and prayer? Who will hold the community together?
It is also an opportunity: for far too long the gifts of ordinary membership have been under-used and even suppressed. That day is over. Every community will require the obvious ministries: baptism teams, catechists, bereavement counselling, as well as administration and guidance such as parish councils. I’m sure there will be new ministries emerging of which we are as yet unaware. The collapse of one, highly, hierarchical clerical, way of being “church” is giving way to new models. There will be surprises.