May 4, 2020
Monday for di Fourth Week of Easter
Readings for Today
Listen for English
“Na Me be di good shepherd. Good shepherd dey lay down im life for di sheep. Person wey dem hire, wey no be shepherd and wey di sheep no belong to, go see wolf dey come, leave di sheep and run away, and di wolf go catch dem and scatter dem. Na because e dey work for pay and e no care about di sheep.” John 10:11-13
Wetin you don dey used to pass for life? Which voice or voices dey ring for your mind most of di time? Plenty things dey regularly influence us. Some good, and some no too good. Many times, we fit convince ourselves say di plenty “voices” or things wey we dey encounter every day no dey affect us. Di voice of di media, di popular culture of our time, love of money, desire make people recognise us, and plenty other things dey put pressure on us. These things get strong influence, and whether we wan believe am or not, dem dey affect us.
Di Gospel wey dey above dey help us understand this struggle inside us, as e show di difference between di Shepherd im voice and stranger im voice. E easy to teach sheep and train dem to follow wetin dem don dey used to. Dem dey learn their shepherd im voice because shepherds dey regularly talk to their sheep. Once di sheep don get used to di shepherd im voice, dem go turn follow am when e call.
Na so e still be with us. We go follow di voice of wetin we don dey used to pass. Anything wey we dey put our whole mind inside every day go gradually hold us and draw us to follow am, even without us knowing.
This one bring di question, “Wetin you don dey used to pass?” As e suppose be, we suppose spend enough time with God im Word, dey learn His language, di way E dey talk and His voice. As e suppose be, we suppose set aside part of our time every day to stay quiet and think deeply about God. As we dey do this, we dey form di habit of hearing Him talk, and we go begin feel at home with His voice and receive comfort from am.
Once this habit don take root inside us, e go much easier to dey do all our daily work and still hear God whenever E choose to talk. We go recognise at once say na Him, and we go follow.
Today, think deeply about wetin dey call you with di loudest voice. No let di plenty other voices for our world cover God im voice. Instead, prepare yourself for di moments wey E choose to talk. And when E talk, let that voice catch your attention so that you fit follow.
Lord, help me to know and love Your gentle voice all through my daily life. Make that voice rise above all di other voices wey dey struggle to get my attention. I choose You, dear Lord, as my only Shepherd and guide. Jesus, na You I trust.
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Jean Baptiste de Champaigne; Di Good Shepherd
