HOMILY FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY (4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER) – YEAR C

YEAR C: HOMILY/REFLECTION FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY HOMILY THEME: Do You Follow His Voice?BY: Rev Fr Livinus IGBODEKWE C.Voice is the first identi

HOMILY FOR THE GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY (4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER) – YEAR C

HOMILY THEME: Do You Follow His Voice?

BY: Rev Fr Livinus IGBODEKWE C.

 

Voice is the first identity property because voice belongs to the ear. Appearance belongs to the eyes. Before you see someone, you hear. If it is someone you already know then when you hear his voice, you know him before his appearance . If the voice is coming from a good person you want to see, then you are happy but if from an evil person, you hide. The ears, in this way, gives you security. So you are likened to a sheep by today’s Gospel. A sheep is likely to hear two voices that actually determines its destiny – for good or for bad, namely the shepherd’s or the wolf’s voice. The sheep feeds it while the wolf feeds on it. So the sheep’s security lies on the soundness of its ears especially when the shepherd is not close. His voice must never be mistaken. He must be accustomed to the shepherd’s voice.
In the same way, two person’s determine our eternal destinies – Jesus and devil. The paradox is that the sheep shares so many features with the wolf. It has furs and it has four legs, only that one is domestic and the other is wild and as a result the wolf steals, kills and destroys. The sheep is so different from the shepherd because the shepherd is a human. We share one feature with the devil which we don’t share with Christ – sin. That’s why we often hear the voice of sin than the voice of righteousness.

The Shepherd knows the Sheep: God knows us more than we know ourselves. Others who claim to know us best because of certain affinity they share with us do not actually know us. This is because we may pretend and appear like one thing before them always but actually be a different thing behind them. But we can’t hide from our Master. He knew us before we were born and named.
Normally, people use paints or strips to designate their sheep when they are many. But Jesus does not need to earmark us to know us. Imagine the billions of people in the world, Jesus knows everyone by name. He knows all our tendencies and proclivities.

The Security is knowing the voice of the shepherd and following Him. One can hear a voice and refuse to follow. Salvation is not merely by sitting in church every day and hearing beautiful sermons but in beautifying our souls with them by following the instructions contained in them.

The Danger the sheep may be tired of following the Shepherd through the dark valleys. It may become afraid of the steep mountains and decide to go away. To go away means to go astray for the sheep. And such a sheep may hear a voice and mistake it for the voice of the Shepherd whom it has lost and that might be his death.

Lesson: to hear God’s voice is to be responsible but to follow Him is to gain eternal life. Don’t just be a hearer but also a doer of the Shepherd’s bids!
Happy Good Shepherd’s Sunday!!!

 

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