Attendant to the Voice
Today at our weekly Eucharist, the Gospel appointed for the day was the "Good Shepherd" passage from the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John. In it, Jesus notes that the sheep know the voice of their shepherd -- listen to that voice and aren't swayed by the voice of the hired help. In my homily, I noted that I didn't know much about sheep, but over the past 6+ years, our terrier mix, Freddie, has taught me a great deal about attendant listening.
We've noticed that Freddie can discern the sounds of each of the Manning vehicles from afar -- as far away as about a quarter of a mile if there's enough quiet in the environment. He can distinguish the sounds of our cars from cars of the exact same model. When he hears the sounds of either vehicle he will immediately make a beeline for the kitchen door which leads to the garage and stand, at attention, tail wagging, on full alert, waiting for the member of the family in the returning vehicle. Usually he's standing at the door, before the returning family member has entered the driveway or pushed the remote control to open the garage door. It's a sight to behold for the family members who are inside the house and have witnessed this behavior time and time again.
Of course, we all know this is a conditioned response, right? At some point Freddie has associated all of those sounds with some sort of reward -- food, a walk outside, a playmate or a pat on the head. He is attendant for these sounds out of his own self-interest (even though I'm not certain dogs have "self-interest"). As I have reflected upon Freddie's behavior and the attention he invests in each member of our family, I couldn't help but wonder about the amount of attention we followers of Jesus lavish upon listening for the sounds of the Good Shepherd in our midst.
Can we hear the Voice in the din of all the other voices which surround us?
Can we hear the Voice above the crowded chatter of our own thoughts?
"My sheep know my voice," Jesus says.
I get comfort from knowing that Jesus is speaking.
I feel challenged by knowing how little I'm listening for the sound of his voice.
Today at our weekly Eucharist, the Gospel appointed for the day was the "Good Shepherd" passage from the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John. In it, Jesus notes that the sheep know the voice of their shepherd -- listen to that voice and aren't swayed by the voice of the hired help. In my homily, I noted that I didn't know much about sheep, but over the past 6+ years, our terrier mix, Freddie, has taught me a great deal about attendant listening.
We've noticed that Freddie can discern the sounds of each of the Manning vehicles from afar -- as far away as about a quarter of a mile if there's enough quiet in the environment. He can distinguish the sounds of our cars from cars of the exact same model. When he hears the sounds of either vehicle he will immediately make a beeline for the kitchen door which leads to the garage and stand, at attention, tail wagging, on full alert, waiting for the member of the family in the returning vehicle. Usually he's standing at the door, before the returning family member has entered the driveway or pushed the remote control to open the garage door. It's a sight to behold for the family members who are inside the house and have witnessed this behavior time and time again.
Of course, we all know this is a conditioned response, right? At some point Freddie has associated all of those sounds with some sort of reward -- food, a walk outside, a playmate or a pat on the head. He is attendant for these sounds out of his own self-interest (even though I'm not certain dogs have "self-interest"). As I have reflected upon Freddie's behavior and the attention he invests in each member of our family, I couldn't help but wonder about the amount of attention we followers of Jesus lavish upon listening for the sounds of the Good Shepherd in our midst.
Can we hear the Voice in the din of all the other voices which surround us?
Can we hear the Voice above the crowded chatter of our own thoughts?
"My sheep know my voice," Jesus says.
I get comfort from knowing that Jesus is speaking.
I feel challenged by knowing how little I'm listening for the sound of his voice.
posted by FrGaryB | 12:00 PM
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