Responding to the Call

04-25-2021Weekly Reflection© J. S. Paluch Company

Do we truly know the voice of Christ? Do we truly respond to the voice of our shepherd with our own distinctive voice? How often we attempt to imitate those around us, appropriating the response of another member of the flock to Christ. Perhaps we need to balance the image of being sheep of one flock with the image from the second reading, which tells us that we are all children of God. What child has precisely the same interaction with parents as his or her siblings? Instead, they frequently do and say things to distinguish themselves in the eyes of their parents.

Whether we use the image of children or of sheep to understand our relationship with Christ, we believe that we are all known and called by name. With this great gift comes a responsibility: to respond to the call with our own distinctive voice, to take time to discern exactly what our call is, to determine precisely what the will of the Father is for each of us.