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Catholic Church of the Resurrection - Resurrection Catholic Church

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<strong>Resurrection</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>Church</strong><br />

Houston, TX www.rcchouston.org April 21, 2013<br />

From <strong>the</strong> Pastor Del Párroco<br />

“My sheep hear my voice. I know <strong>the</strong>m and <strong>the</strong>y<br />

follow me” (John 10). This quote from Sunday’s<br />

reading compels us to ask who are <strong>the</strong> sheep who<br />

hear <strong>the</strong> voice <strong>of</strong> Jesus.<br />

We dare not get into a conversation that consists <strong>of</strong><br />

“counting sheep,” that is, counting how many follow<br />

Jesus and how many don’t.<br />

Jesus does not do that in this passage. He simply<br />

says three things:<br />

His sheep hear his voice.<br />

He knows <strong>the</strong>m.<br />

They follow him.<br />

Everyone born in this world comes out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> womb<br />

already familiar with <strong>the</strong> native tongue <strong>of</strong> heaven,<br />

that is, <strong>the</strong> voice <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> shepherd. So when we hear it<br />

in <strong>the</strong> scriptures, in <strong>the</strong> sacraments, and in a powerful<br />

way, <strong>the</strong> lives <strong>of</strong> those who follow him, we hear<br />

something familiar.<br />

Jesus says he knows his sheep. Perhaps because his<br />

sheep know him. We are truly ourselves when we<br />

know God. We are truly what God made us when we<br />

hear his voice and get to know him. When we are<br />

our truest selves we are as God knew us when he<br />

created us.<br />

That’s why someone who plugs up <strong>the</strong>ir ears so <strong>the</strong>y<br />

don’t hear <strong>the</strong>ir shepherd’s voice lose <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

knowledge <strong>of</strong> God. They lose <strong>the</strong>ir selves. They<br />

become someone o<strong>the</strong>r than who <strong>the</strong>y really were.<br />

They become someone o<strong>the</strong>r than who God knew<br />

when he created <strong>the</strong>m.<br />

For that reason, even God can say, “I don’t know<br />

you.” This is much like how a friend might say to<br />

ano<strong>the</strong>r friend who has lost his way, “I don’t know<br />

you anymore.”<br />

We hear his voice. We know him. So we become<br />

more <strong>of</strong> who God made us to be.<br />

Jesus knows those who know him.<br />

The next step is to follow <strong>the</strong> one we know.<br />

Fr. Christopher Plant<br />

frplant.com<br />

"Mis ovejas oyen mi voz. Yo las conozco y me<br />

siguen" (Juan 10). Esta cita de la lectura del<br />

domingo nos obliga a preguntar quiénes son las<br />

ovejas que escuchan la voz de Jesús.<br />

No nos atrevemos a entrar en una conversación que<br />

consiste en "contar ovejas," que es, contar cuántos<br />

siguen a Jesús y cuántos no.<br />

Jesús no hacen eso en este pasaje. Simplemente<br />

dice tres cosas:<br />

Sus ovejas oyen su voz.<br />

Él los conoce.<br />

Lo siguen a El.<br />

Todos los que nacen en este mundo salen de la<br />

matriz ya familiarizada con la lengua materna del<br />

cielo, es decir, la voz del Pastor. Cuando<br />

escuchamos en las escrituras, en la sacramentos, y<br />

de una manera poderosa, las vidas de quienes lo<br />

siguen, escuchamos algo familiar.<br />

Jesús dice que él conoce a sus ovejas. Tal vez<br />

porque sus ovejas lo conocen. Somos<br />

verdaderamente nosotros mismos cuando<br />

conocemos a Dios. Somos verdaderamente lo que<br />

nos hizo Dios cuando escuchamos su voz y<br />

lo llegamos a conocer. Cuando somos nosotros<br />

mismos verdaderamente somos como Dios nos<br />

conocían cuando él nos creó.<br />

Es por eso que cuando alguien se tapa sus oídos<br />

para no escuchar la voz de su pastor pierde su<br />

conocimiento de Dios. Se pierden ellos mismos. Se<br />

convierten en alguien distinto a quien realmente<br />

fueron. Se convierten en alguien distinto a quien<br />

Dios conocía cuando los creó.<br />

Por esa razón, Dios pueden decir, "yo no te<br />

conozco." Esto es muy parecido a cómo podría<br />

decir un amigo a otro amigo que ha perdido su<br />

camino, "Yo no te conozco ya."<br />

Escuchamos su voz. Lo sabemos. Así que nos<br />

convertimos en más de que Dios nos hizo.<br />

Jesús sabe quienes lo conocen.<br />

El siguiente paso es seguir el que conocemos.<br />

Padre Christopher Plant<br />

frplant.com

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