“Let us do away with any ‘noise’ that prevents us from hearing our Good Shepherd, Who assures us, His constant accompaniment with us!”

(Based on Acts 11:1-18 and Jn 10:1-10 and Jn 10:1-10 Monday of the 4th Week in Easter)

‘Speech recognition technology’ is a technology that has been on for a few years and has been gaining immense use in recent times.

This technology recognizes spoken words and converts them to digitally identifiable signals or waves.

Such a technique is in wide use in various gadgets and instruments…

To initiate phone calls, select radio stations or play music from compatible smartphones, MP3 players or music-loaded flash drives.
In fighter aircraft, in setting radio frequencies, commanding an autopilot system, setting steer-point coordinates and controlling flight display.
Students who are visually-challenged or have very low vision can benefit by using it to convey words and then hear the computer recite them, as well as use a computer by commanding with their voice.
Speech recognizers are also used in video games to input various commands and control access

This technique taps on the logic of recognizing the “sound” or the “speech”

Spiritually considering, such a “speech recognizing technique” is vital in forging a close and intimate relationship with the Lord.

The better our “technique” in recognizing the voice of the Lord, the closer will be our relationship…

The Gospel of the Day presents this aspect of “listening” to the voice of the Lord: “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out!” (Jn 10:3b)

Jesus presents Himself as the Good Shepherd.

One amazing quality of sheep is that they can internalize the voice of their shepherd, their master.

The sheep in the Middle East were generally reared for their wool, rather than the meat.

This meant that the sheep would be with the Shepherd for quite some time.

A bond of relationship would develop between them.

The shepherd would seek to care affectionately…
… the sheep, in turn, would seek to obey its master

The shepherd would lay down his comforts to safeguard…
… the sheep, in turn, would look to follow its guide

The shepherd would have a particular speech or voice, that will help to call out a particular sheep…

This sheep would, gradually, ‘internalize’ this sound or name and will respond to this call of its loving shepherd!

This is the illustration that Jesus uses to point out that His “sheep will follow Him, because they will recognize His voice” (Jn 10:4)

But we live in a world, where there are often many other “noises” which prevent us from hearing the Voice of the Good Shepherd.

Are we aware of these “noises?”

1. The “noise” of sin which prevents us from hearing the sweet, gentle voice of the Spirit within us…
2. The “noise” of worldliness that causes us to be attracted to the pleasures of comforts and avoid the whispers of holiness and sanctity…
3. The “noise” of discouragements and lukewarmness that makes us be apathetic and indifferent to the needs and service of others and of God…
4. The “noise” of obstinacy and hard-heartedness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit which are transmitted through the Scriptures, the Church Teachings and the inspirations of people and situations of life.

All such noises affect the “speech-recognizing” ability in us, to hear clearly and distinctly the Voice of the Lord.

We need an upgrading of our “speech-recognizing” system…

We need a servicing of our “speech-recognizing” mechanism…

When we are willing to open ourselves to the Voice of the Word, we are made aware of the state of life that we are in

Let us do away with any “noises” that affect the “speech-recognizing technology” of our spiritual lives…
… and faithfully follow our Great Shepherd!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – THE HUMAN COMMUNITY – SOCIAL JUSTICE

For two thousand years this sentiment has lived and endured in the soul of the Church…
… impelling souls then and now to the heroic charity of monastic farmers, liberators of slaves, healers of the sick
… and messengers of faith, civilization, and science to all generations and all peoples

… for the sake of creating the social conditions capable of offering to everyone possible a life worthy of man and of a Christian. (CCC # 1942)