Jesus is the ‘Good Shepherd’ and we are his flock …. or are we? It’s easy to call ourselves Catholics or Christians, but unless we act like it we are only Catholics in name. How can we call Jesus our shepherd or our role model yet not model our behaviour after the most basic of church   teachings? How can we be a part of Jesus’ flock if we condone violence, ignore poverty or harbour un-Christian attitudes? To be truly part of Jesus’ flock we have to be Christians not just in name, but in thought word and deed.

Today Jesus tells us how to live our lives. “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Hearing Jesus’ voice and following him is no easy task. Jesus asks us to follow him in many individual ways.  Imagine how sad it would be to meet Jesus on Judgment Day, to hear him say, “Didn’t you hear me? I was inviting you to travel the world, open a nursing home, research a new drug, become a campaign leader, make a film, write a book, adopt a child, raise funds for a well in a third world country or become a missionary. Weren’t you listening?” How would we reply? “Well…. I thought I was listening… but perhaps I was spending too much time watching TV or following Facebook!”

Deciding to follow Jesus might take some radical thinking and a good deal of courage, but for those who make that decision, Jesus promises “… I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.”