John 10:1-5

Daily Meditation:  John 10-1-5

John 10:1-5

1 Truly, I say to you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 But the shepherd of the sheep enters by the gate. 3 The keeper opens the gate to him and the sheep hear his voice; he calls each of his sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them and the sheep follow him for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, rather they will run away from him because they don’t recognize a stranger’s voice.”

Beloved, whenever You begin a teaching with the words, "Truly, I say to you," we better sit up and pay close attention to what You wish to reveal to us.  You speak eternal truths and we in turn must hear, be guided and obey.  We must walk by the Light that Your Word provides and we have Your assurance that if we do so we will never be lost.

You are the Gate, the Gate Keeper and the Chief of the shepherds.  In the Sacrament of Baptism the Holy Spirit marks Your sheep with Your seal of ownership.   We are confirmed in His power once again and with His Seal, in the Sacrament of Confirmation.  You call us individually by our name.  No herd mentality with You.  You know us personally and we recognize that One Voice that is distinct and stands out clearly against a backdrop of a cacophony of voices.  It is the Voice of Love, Beauty and Truth.

You are the Way, the Truth and the Life.  You have the words of Eternal Life.  You come to build, heal and restore.  The enemy comes to scatter, divide, plunder, steal and kill.  The enemy rules through fear and condemnation.  The words of Satan are hard, harsh, cold, brutal, full of hate and divisive.  Your sheep know and recognize Your voice, we will not follow a stranger who neither knows us nor our name.  

But You we will follow - it is a Voice that speaks the same eternal, unchanging and undying Truths.  All the shepherds whom You have appointed speak speak in one voice.  I thank You for our Holy Mother Church, Your Bride.  I thank You for all Your faithful shepherds beginning with Your Apostles and their successors through the ages.  As long as we have the voice of Peter who speaks Your eternal truths, we will never ever go astray and follow other voices. 

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Beloved, I thank You for grace received through the Sacraments and for loving me so perfectly in Your Church that I have never been tempted to follow the voice of strangers.  I admit I have wandered now and again in my walk with You but You have sought and found me and led me back to pastures that are ever green and fresh.  It is You I follow and You will ensure that I will follow You ever more closely each day until the end.

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---- Mine, if you will only love Me as perfectly as You are capable of, I will increase Your ability to love Me and I will do marvellous things through you.

The devil has infiltrated folds that are mine and many have been lost.  Pray earnestly for them.