LISTEN TO AND FOLLOW JESUS

Rev. Fr. Valentine de Souza S.J.

LISTEN TO AND FOLLOW JESUS

John 10, 27-30

Jose Antonio Pagola

Translated by Rev. Fr. Valentine de Souza S.J.

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 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,  and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all;  no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”

 It was winter. Jesus was walking along the pórtico of Solomon, one of the galleries in the open air surrounding the large esplanade of the Temple. This portico in particular was a place frequented by people. Apparently, it was protected against the wind by a wall.

   Soon, a group of Jewish leaders swarm around Jesus. There is a heated exchange of words. The Jews heckle him with questions. Jesus finds fault with them for they accept neither  his message nor what he does. Specifically he tells them: “You don’t believe because you are not my sheep.” What does this metaphor mean?

   Jesus is very clear: “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me; and I give them eternal life.” Jesus does not compel anyone. He only calls. The decision to follow him depends on each one of us. Only if we listen to and follow Jesus, we establish with him a relationship that leads to eternal life.

   There is nothing as decisive to being Christian as taking the decision to live as followers of Jesus.  The great risk of Christians has always been to assume one is Christian without in fact following him. The truth is that many of those who have been leaving our communities are people whom no one has helped to take the decision to live their lives following in his footsteps.

   This, however, is the first decision a Christian must take. It’s the decision that changes everything,  For it is to begin to live in a new way one’s adherence to Christ and belonging to the Church: to discover finally the way, the truth, the meaning and the purpose of the Christian religion.

   

And the important step in taking that decision is to listen to his call. No one gets on the road to walk in the footsteps of Jesus by following his own intuition or desires to live an ideal. We begin to follow him when we feel attracted to and called by Jesus. Hence, faith does not consist primarily in believing something about Jesus but in believing him.

   When the following of Jesus constantly fostered and reaffirmed in one’s heart and in the believing community is lacking, our faith runs the risk of being reduced to an acceptance of beliefs, a practice of religious obligations, and obedience to the discipline of the Church.

   It is easy then to establish ourselves in religious practices, without allowing ourselves to be exposed to the challenges Jesus faces us with in the Gospels we listen to every Sunday. Jesus is at the heart of that religion, but he does not drag us along in his footsteps. Without realizing it we get used to living in a routine and repetitive manner. We need the  creativity, joy and excitement of those striving to follow Jesus.