It seems there was a famous orator from a very small town who had made it big in the world. It was the parish fall festival, and they invited him back as the 'local boy done good.' And since he was famous for his oratorical abilities, they pressed him to give a rendition of his skills. He was a bit reluctant, but finally agreed to recite the 23rd psalm, only on the condition that after he was done, the pastor of the parish would do the same. Well, this made the pastor very uncomfortable, but being a good sport, he agreed. And so, with all the skills of his art, he launched into "The Lord is my shepherd, ... The room grew quiet and hushed, as phrase by phrase with great skill he proclaimed the psalm. When he was done, the people went crazy and applauded and cheered and stomped and clapped.

Then it was the pastor's turn. Looking very uncomfortable, he took out his weathered breviary, and found his way to the microphone. In a nasally kind of voice, he too, began "The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want..." And bit by bit, as his unsteady voice worked its way through the psalm, the room grew quiet, as one by one, the people of the town began to bow their heads. And when he was done, there was a silence in the room. The orator quickly took the microphone back, and said into the hushed silence. "That is why I demanded that the pastor read the psalm after I did. Don't you feel the difference in this room. The reason is simple. I knew that I could lead you to applause, but that your pastor would lead you to prayer. Why? Because I know the 23rd psalm - Your pastor, he knows the shepherd..."

How have you heard the voice of the shepherd these days? Isn't there something about the voices of people as they hold their conversations that tip it off. It's as if you can hear holiness there. I think of Joe Stewart, a 94 year old man who would make me cry every time I heard him pray the our father - You knew he knew the shepherd. It is why, perhaps, John the evangelist uses that image of the sheep recognizing the voice of Jesus. Because it is all about the listening, isn't it. All about detecting the subtle call and strains of holiness in our daily activities. Hearing the voice, recognizing the voice, responding to the one who shepherds us, because we respond to holiness of life in the other.

I celebrated a wedding yesterday, and among the many conversations at the reception, 3 people pulled me aside to speak about more serious concerns. One spoke about a relationship they were involved in that was questionable, another about the search for a worshipping community; a third, about the hierarchy and what he had seen during the papal visit three years ago. Sheep without a shepherd. People a bit lost and looking for bearings and because I wore a collar - decided to begin the conversation... What I wanted to say was: "Let's talk about how you pray and how you listen for God and how you come to a sense of peace. Let's look at the ways you enter into the sheepfold - or how you try to find a different way in..." For there is only one way - through the gate... through relationship with Jesus. Like the orator in the small town, you can know all about the Jesus, but to know the Good Shepherd, that's a different matter.

How have you heard the voice of the shepherd these days?

Sometimes we hear the voice of the shepherd through the sheep who are in need. And each year, in the archdiocese of St. Louis, we try to respond to that need through the Archdiocesan Development Appeal. To support the many programs that feed the sheep in the diocese. After communion, Amanda Harrod will talk about what that looks like here. It is but one of the ways we respond to the voice of the shepherd - by taking care of the sheep… How have you heard the voice of the Shepherd these days? Listen carefully, for he continues to call. Listen carefully, for there are so many who need what we hear in our prayer and our lives. And though there are a ton of ways to respond to the shepherd, I pray that we might let our lives mirror that simple pastor in that small town - one who knows not just the 23rd Psalm, but the Good Shepherd...