Reflection - Do we hear God's voice

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042318.cfm
Acts 11:1-18
John 10:1-10

I’ve never encountered a burning Bush like Moses did. Only figuratively does thunder, either in the mountains or on the plains, sound like the voice of God to me. I’ve never seen a Heavenly Host in the night sky singing “Glory to God in the highest.” Most of my dreams linger beyond the edge of my conscious memory; so, if I had a vision — whether in a dream or in a trance — I can’t recall it. On the other hand, I’m fairly certain that angels have positively affected my life. Still, when they did, they never had a personal appearance or brought any special announcements. All in all, I’m personally of the belief that God reserves special encounters for those unique situations where his message is out of the ordinary.

Moses needed a burning Bush, not just to capture his attention — which it obviously did — but to maximize the importance of the task given him. Shepherds wouldn’t have returned to the city at night unless they had witnessed something extraordinary which suggested they should do so. God’s request that Mary be the mother of his son still is considered outrageous by many. Is it any wonder then that that message should have been brought by personal messenger? And the change regarding the eating of clean and unclean foods was such a serious break with the past that it had to be taught to Peter three times in his vision which we just read about. As I said: special encounters for unique situations.

So far in my life I’ve been excluded from the list of those entrusted with such news as would necessitate an eye-opening, head-thumping, visually impacting presentation. Nevertheless, I found this Gospel reading reminding me of messages that are all too easy to set aside, ignore or just plain forget. In explaining the image of himself as the good shepherd Jesus tells us:

The gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd,
and the sheep hear his voice,
as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.

Now, if the sheep hear and recognize the shepherd’s voice it’s reasonable to assume that they had heard that voice speaking on more than just those early morning occasions. The blind may be hyper-sensitive in the area of voice recognition and thus able to identify a particular voice having heard it but once; but that is because of their other sensory limitations. So, when did the sheep learn to recognize their own shepherds voice? I can only speculate; but it would seem reasonable to assume that they heard it when he instructed them to lie down in green pastures; they heard it when he directed them to still waters; they heard it when he led them in paths of righteousness; and they probably also heard it every time it was necessary to walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

I would imagine that, in fact, that the sheep heard his voice in conversation, in directions, in songs, in commands and even in admonitions. But this imagery of shepherd and sheep is a story about Jesus and me . . . and I have to wonder.

When I was a lamb I was taught his directions and commands and admonitions. Was I also taught to converse with him and hear his song? I seek to hear his voice when it becomes necessary to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Much of the time I try to hear his voice when I need to be led in paths of righteousness. Even though I try to avoid it I also hear his voice after occasions when I need to be corrected for my behavior.

The mystical experiences of Moses and Mary, shepherds and Peter have never been mine and probably never will be. But I have not missed out. I may be an ordinary sheep, part of an ordinary flock, but his words, his conversation and his song are ever present during the day.

How well do I recognize his voice when he would lead me out?