Voice Recognition

May 8, 2022

Today the Gospel reminds us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  The sheep of His flock recognize His voice.  It is because they recognize that voice that they follow Him.  We live in a world of voice technology.  We can speak to our phones, to our remotes and even to Alexa and other voice technology to control electronics in the house.  From turning on lights and playing music to being informed about the top news stories of the day and more, we are all about the voice.  Today, we are called not to do the talking but to do the listening.  “My sheep hear my voice.”  Do we recognize the voice of the Lord Jesus?  How do we imagine this interchange occurring?  There is an intimacy to be found in how all this occurs.  Jesus states that there is protection when we recognize His voice and follow.  He states “No one can take them out of my hand.”  This means when we listen and when we follow, we are invited into the embrace and hands of our loving Savior the Good Shepherd.  Nothing can separate us from that embrace.

Today the challenge is not how we use voice technology, but how we recognize the voice of our Savior.

Fr. John

THE CALL TO BE NURTURING

This weekend we remember in a special way all mothers, spiritual, biological, and adopted.  These women of faith have a special place in the plan of salvation.  They allow us to see and experience the nurturing embrace of our God.   Through their actions, through their love, through their belief, we are all blessed.

My mom was a true gift.  Being her youngest child, I benefitted from the fact that she had her parenting skills honed in by the time I was born.  While she was sensitive and fair, she was always a good listener.  Her greatest gift was loving my father and being the love of his life.  The two of them gave us a deep foundation of faith by the way they took care of each other and understood each other.  Although the four of us children were completely different, my mom knew how to spoil us and challenge us differently.  As adults, coming home for a visit was always special.  She would make sure to stock the downstairs freezer with our favorite ice cream bar or dessert.  Our favorites were waiting for us whenever we stopped by.  Of course, each of us liked something different and was loyal to certain brands.  Yet until she passed, she would make sure to indulge us in this way.  She also would labor over making iced tea in a way only she could.  We were often greeted by the words, “I made iced tea for you yesterday so it is fresh.”  Her thoughtfulness was an example of the extravagance God shows us.

On this weekend we remember the great gift of nurturing love and ask God to continue to bless all mothers and spiritual women for how they make His gifts real in our lives.

Fr. John