Can we hear the voice of the shepherd? Does the cacophony of our daily lives, the constant and sometimes overwhelming flood of input we receive drown out the voice of the shepherd?

Jesus, in today’s gospel passage from John, explicitly condemns the false prophets that came before him as thieves and robbers. In our lives today, we also are exposed to many voices, false gods and goals that steal from us the true path God has for us. Christ is the beacon, if only we can hear his voice, because once we do we can indeed have life and have it abundantly. Abundant life is not found in the voices of the world but only in Jesus Christ.

How then, might we more consistently hear the voice of Jesus? One path, rooted in Ignatian spirituality is to focus on listening to the movements of the Holy Spirit within us.  In the first reading from Acts Chapter 11, Peter witnesses to how the Gentiles were given the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is with the grace of the Spirit that we can filter out the noise of the world and hear the call of Jesus, not just in a general way but as our daily partner in our lives and as a companion on our individual pilgrimages.

Whose voice do we hear today? Can we respond “Here I am Lord”?