A Familiar voice

Listening to the Spirit

Pope Francis’ Prayer for protection from Coronavirus

O Mary, you shine continuously on our journey as a sign
of salvation and hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick.
At the foot of the Cross you participated in Jesus’ pain,
with steadfast faith.
You, Salvation of all the People, know what we need.
We are certain that you will provide, so that,
as you did at Cana of Galilee,
joy and feasting might return after this moment of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform ourselves to the Father’s will
and to do what Jesus tells us:
He who took our sufferings upon Himself,
and bore our sorrows to bring us,
through the Cross, to the joy of the Resurrection.
Amen.
We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God.
Do not despise our pleas – we who are put to the test –
and deliver us from every danger,
O glorious and blessed Virgin.

Listening to the Word

John 10:1-10

Jesus said: “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Reflection

In this time of Covid 19, we are wearing face masks and gloves to protect ourselves and others from the virus. Going out to buy food, we encounter several people, but it is difficult to recognize them. Somebody says my name…Simone…I know this voice; I know him this is my friend. We recognize the people we know through their voices. “[Jesus] calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. […] the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice” (Jn 10: 3-4)

During this time of quarantine (ECQ), because of a lot of free time and longer time given to prayer, we are learning, once again, how to hear the voice of Jesus, of our Lord. There are many voices in our hearts. There are voices bringing us to the wrong ways. There are voices telling us that evil is stronger than God, that different kinds of sufferings, loneliness, depression, detachment from our siblings and friends are bringing us to lose hope in the Lord. We get lost, we become sinners going away from Him.

But there is one Voice telling us something like that: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11: 28) “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mc 4: 40) These are the words quoted by Pope Francis during the night of prayer on March 27 at Saint Peter Square. We are in the boat at the mercy of the waves, but we hear words like these: “I CARE about you.” Moreover, during these days we experience the beauty of reciting the Rosary together with our families. During the prayer, there are no specific words from Jesus, but the repetition of the “Hail Mary” becomes a consoling word. Finally, the last words of the Gospel of this fourth Sunday of Easter: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” These last words come from a familiar voice too. Jesus is here, He is alive so that we can have life abundantly. Life as good health, but also life as the capacity given to us by God: to believe that in this world we cannot understand many things, even more, we cannot control our lives, but that Jesus is with us, He cares for us always. God does not bring us away from the cross, but He is with us on our cross. We would like to live a serene life without problems, but it is given to me, by God, enough light to start the first step, and enough strength to restart the journey.
This is the abundant life!!