My Sheep Hear My Voice

Fourth Sunday of Easter

By Jim Bayne

For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 13:47)

The LORD is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations. (Psalm 100: 5)

I, John, had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue.  They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. (REV 7:9)

Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. (John 10:27-28)

Piety

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living.  Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:13-14)

Study

This week’s Gospel speaks to the relationship between Jesus and the Father. Jesus identifies so closely with the Father that he tells us that they are one—not just close, but actually one. To know Jesus is to know the Father. Jesus doesn't just bring us closer to the Father, Jesus puts us directly into contact with God the Father, removing all distance between us. Our relationship with Jesus is an invitation to share in the life of God.

– From Sunday Connection for April 17, 2016

Relationships are essential part of living a healthy and happy life.  A study that began in 1938 called The Grant study proposed to unearth the secrets to a happy and purposeful life. It began with a cadre of 238 men at Harvard in1938. In 1940, a cadre of men who grew up in the tenements of Boston was added to the mix.

George Vaillant, Harvard psychiatrist and director of the study from 1972 to 2004 wrote a book about it. The study found that Love Is Really All That Matters and maintains that  regardless of how we begin life, we can all become happier by establishing deep personal relationships at home, at the office, at church and in all our social settings.

The most powerful relationship we can have is our personal relationship with God through Jesus.  It is the one relationship that remains constant. While we may walk away from God at different times in our lives, God never walks away from us.

A relationship with God does not just happen. It requires us to develop a deep life of prayer. It calls on us to study the Word of God; to get to know who God is and what He requires of us. Finally, a relationship with God calls on us to reach out in love to our brothers and sisters “across the street and around the world,” as Fr. Dick Martin used to say.

Action

Make some time this week to sit in the quiet with God’s word.  Follow that up with some time just being in God’s presence.  Finally, experience the Kingdom of God right here on earth by doing one of the actions Jesus tells us in Matthew 25:34-36 will lead us there.