In the world today there are so many different voices that we’re constantly bombarded with, different voices that we listen to, sometimes without even realizing it. Some are loud and obvious, others are more subtle but just as influencing. Each of them has a way of shaping how we think, what we value, and, ultimately, the direction our lives go. And in the middle of all that noise, it’s hard to discern the voice of Jesus and what He is doing in our lives.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us an image of Himself as a Shepherd and guide, but He also gives us an image of being the gate. And that particular image should invite us to think about something maybe we would prefer to avoid. What do I mean? A gate isn’t just something that offers a welcome, it’s also something that restricts access. A gate is meant to open to allow something or someone in, and it remains closed to protect, to keep something out. Usually, we’re pretty comfortable asking Jesus to lead us, but we hesitate in letting Him decide what should or shouldn’t have access to our hearts.

That hesitation shows up in how easily we allow certain voices into our lives. We listen to social media influencers, news personalities, politicians, and so many others who speak with confidence and boldness about how to be successful or they offer us a vision of the future where wealth and “personal freedom” is promised. But when we look at what they’re offering, we don’t realize how often it leads to more emptiness, it leads us nowhere worth going, shaping our priorities in ways that leave us restless rather than fulfilled.

And yet, at the same time, we can be hesitant, even resistant, when it comes to listening to the voice of Christ, who speaks through the Scriptures and through His Church. His is the one voice that actually has our best interests in mind. And yet, we so often don’t hear it because the other voices drown Him out, or, worse, we willingly choose to dismiss it because it doesn’t fit our personal lifestyle, or our politics, or our social priorities.

Jesus offers something better than what society or the world could ever offer. He speaks about a life that’s full of hope and joy, a life that is grounded in truth and love, a life that is abundant and full of promise. But that kind of life only comes when we stop treating His voice as optional. We have to stop choosing to listen to His voice only when it’s convenient. Instead, we have to give Him permission to have real authority in our lives, to be able to speak to our hearts in a way that changes us.

That’s where the real challenge is for most of us. It’s one thing to say we believe in Jesus, and something very different to actually let His voice take precedence in our lives, especially when it conflicts with everything else we’ve grown used to hearing. It means allowing His word to correct us, not just comfort us; it means allowing His voice to form us, not just affirm us. And if we’re honest, that’s where the resistance comes in. We can become very good at keeping Christ at a distance, in a way that feels manageable, close enough to feel religious, but not so close that He actually interrupts the way we live. But the image that the Lord gives us of the gate doesn’t allow for that kind of distance. Either He has access, or He doesn’t.

Throughout this week, let’s take some time in prayer asking the Lord to allow us to notice what voices are shaping our thoughts and actions. Pay attention to what forms our reactions, our decisions, our sense of identity. And then ask whether those voices are leading us toward the fullness of life Christ promises or quietly pulling us away from Him.

But then we have to take action, we have to do something that helps us to cut out those voices we shouldn’t be listening to and focus more attention on those we should be listening to. It might mean limiting our time watching the news, or cutting back on social media use, or turning off that particularly movie we’re watching. It might mean choosing to spend more time in prayer, opening the Bible a few more times a week, sitting in silent meditation in the Adoration Chapel. We have to do something to tune our ears to the right voice.

The voice of Jesus isn’t absent in our lives; He’s constantly there. The question is whether we’re giving Him real access or keeping Him at a distance while everything else speaks louder. When we finally allow Him not just to be heard, but we give Him permission to have authority in our lives, we begin to discover that He never restricts our freedom. He desires us to have the fullness of freedom and to enjoy the fullness of life. When we actually live that out, we start to realize that everything else we were listening to could never give us what He alone can provide.

Photo: Shepherding Livestock, Patrick Schneider. Used under Unsplash license.