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Gospel: John 10:22-30
The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem.
It was winter.
And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon.
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him,
“How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me.
But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Imagine tallying all of the different voices we hear in a single day.
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There are the voices of those living within our homes; voices on social media; the car radio; the television; the cashier at Food Town; the teller at the bank.
There’s even our own inner voice, which can lead us in a variety of directions. Sometimes that voice lifts us up; other times it tears us down.
With all of these different voices vying for our attention, how do we hear the voice of Jesus, our Good Shepherd?
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We must pray.
“And when you pray,” Jesus says, “go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.”
Our “inner room” isn’t a physical place; it’s the deepest part of our selves, that place where we hide our fears, our hopes, our insecurities, and our dreams.
When you pray, Jesus says, go there. Go to that deepest part of yourself, open the door, and allow the Lord in. Let him look around.
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What is my “inner room” like? Is it a place filled with noise? A place of fear? Or a place of peace? Are there competing voices in that room? Or do I leave space for only one, the voice of God?
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“I am the Good Shepherd,” Jesus says. “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
It’s only when we push all other voices aside and make room for the voice of Christ that our hearts – our “inner room” – can be filled with peace.
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Image credits: (1) Watchtower Online Library, jw.org (2) Scripture in Song, Ben Eaton (3) Pin on Hope City, Pinterest