First Reading

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (13:14, 43-52)

Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats. Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.

On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 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."

The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region. The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (100: 1-2, 3, 5)

(R) We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands, serve the Lord with gladness, come before him with joyful song. (R)

Know that the Lord is God, he made us, his we are, his people, the flock he tends. (R)

The Lord is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Book of Revelation (7:9, 14B-17)

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.

Then one of the elders said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress, they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." "For this reason they stand before God's throne and worship him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them. They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (10:27-30)

Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one.”

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

Today's gospel from John (10:27-30) is a part of the long discourse that Jesus gave in which He uses the analogy of a shepherd, sheep, a gate and a sheepfold to describe His relationship with His followers. He presents Himself as the True, Legitimate, and Good Shepherd who knows His sheep and leads them through the gate to eternal life, emphasizing that He is the only way to salvation. However, Jesus was not the first to use the image of the shepherd to illustrate a caring leadership and relationship. In the Old Testament times, shepherding was a simple, humble and common occupation. Many important Old Testament figures like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, King David, and the prophet Amos were all shepherds at some point in their lives.

This imagery is also found throughout the Old Testament, specifically referring to God's relationship with the people of Israel likened to His flock. The Psalmist, Prophets Isaiah and Jeremaiah describe God as loving and caring for His people, like a shepherd loves and cares for his sheep, Psalm 23, Isaiah (40:11) and Jeremiah (31:10). They point to God as being Israel's Provider, Protector, Comforter, Healer and Guide. However, while they portray God as the "ultimate eternal shepherd" of His people because of His unwavering guidance and care for them, they depict God entrusting the responsibility of guiding, instructing, protecting, and providing for His people, both religiously and politically, to human leaders of Israel, such as priests, prophets, kings and elders thus demonstrating a partnership between God and human beings in leadership roles, Ezekiel (34:1), Chronicles (17:6) and Psalm (78:70-72).

At the same time, the Old Testament also contains numerous examples of God criticizing, rebuking and punishing these leaders using the same imagery. This often occurred through prophets who acted as God's messengers, calling out these leaders for their failures to care for and protect their people. For instance, Prophet Jeremiah declared the Lord pronouncing a "woe" to the shepherds who were responsible for the "destruction and scattering of the flock" referring to His people Israel and then promising to punish these unfaithful shepherds for their neglect and misdeeds, Jeremiah (23:1-4).

At one point, God completely denounced these bad and false shepherds and their actions and promised to personally gather His people in the care of a good and faithful leader. Particularly, Prophet Ezekiel proclaimed the Lord saying that the future shepherd would be "My servant David", Ezekiel (34:23). Here, "My servant David" is not referring to the historical King David, but to a future ruler from David's lineage, who would reign wisely and bring justice, peace and righteousness to all, often interpreted as the Messiah and ultimately being identified as Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

Against the backdrop of this prophecy, Jesus identified Himself to His followers that He, both as the descendant of David and the Son of God, is the "True and Good Shepherd" who knows and cares for His sheep and contrasts himself with bad or false shepherds, whom he called "thieves and robbers", referring to the prominent Jewish political and religious leaders of his time including Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes and priests, John (10:1). Jesus further stated that He as the shepherd enters through the gate into the sheepfold to give and protect the life of His sheep, while others enter the sheepfold by other means only to "steal, kill, and destroy", John (10:10). As a result, some Jews accused Jesus of being insane and possessed by a demon, John (10:20).

This confrontation led Jesus to reaffirm the intimate relationship between Him as the Good Shepherd and His followers (the sheep). He said, "My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me" John (10:27). In other words, just as sheep naturally recognize and respond to their shepherd's voice because of the established connection and trust between them, Jesus said that his followers know Him intimately and respond willingly because of their trust and genuine faith in Him. Moreover, He emphasized the eternal care, protection and possession of His believers by saying, "No one can take them out of His hand", John (10:28). Signifying that the eternal life He offers is permanent and that the sheep - believers - were given to Him by the Father, who is greater than all who also holds the sheep in His hand and, therefore, they are eternally secure, held by the power of God, John (10:29-30).

What is the message for us?

We all long to be known, understood, valued and loved at the deepest levels. It is the most fundamental principle in relationships and a key to foster trust, intimacy, strong connections, understanding and a sense of belonging. So, Jesus' declaration, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me", suggests that there is a close, intimate and profound relationship between Jesus and us, and He knows the depth of our hearts. Jesus, as God, knows everything about us. He sees beyond our outward appearances and actions. He knows our inner thoughts, intents, and motives.

The gospels describe Jesus having the ability to discern people's hearts and thoughts, even their innermost feelings, John (2:24-25), John (6:64) and Matthew (9:4). So, knowing our thoughts, commitment, and purpose Jesus says that just as the sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd, the one who feeds them, guides them, and protects them, we His followers listen to His gospel message, and respond positively. In other words, Jesus is confident in our ability to trust and hear His voice, thereby enabling us to resist the influence of false teachings and avoid harmful situations which impact our spiritual growth and path to eternal life.
Despite Jesus' belief in our capacity to trust and to hear His voice, we might, however, not always trust and recognize His voice because many other voices are vying desperately for our attention all the time, each one claiming to have the truth. For example, there are voices of social media, advertisements, families, friends, teachers, and much more, trying to influence our choices, decisions, actions, and faith. So, discerning Jesus' voice can indeed be a challenge. C.-S. Lewis, the British writer and lay theologian of the 20th century stated, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pain", meaning that God communicates with us through various means and the intensity of His communication depends on the situation.

Therefore, all we must do is to actively and deliberately pursue a close, intimate, trusting relationship with Jesus where we can listen and learn to recognize His unique voice. The more we spend time with Him in prayer, Bible study, listening to preaching, and seeking guidance from faithful individuals, the easier it is to recognize His voice. Learning to recognize Jesus' voice is a continuous and lifelong process and journey, not a one-time event.
The prophet Jeremiah foretells the Lord commanding the Israelites, "Listen to My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. Walk in the way I command you and all will be well with you", Jeremiah (7:23). In other words, the prophet says that God primarily desires obedience from us to His voice and walking in His ways, leading to a deeper and more intimate personal relationship where "we will be His people and He will be our God" and all good things will happen to us.

To fully live and experience all the blessings of today, therefore, let us accept Jesus Christ's offer of a close, deep, personal, and intimate relationship with Him built on trust and faith, listen attentively to His voice in all circumstances, and then boldly follow His voice so as to have abundant blessings and eternal life.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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