“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” //  John 10:27

I was one of those kids who wandered freely wherever my parents took me. Maybe it was because I was allowed to, and probably because things were a little different in the early 90s.

My favorite roaming activity was hiding in the clothing racks at retail stores. There was something about parting the clothes to the sides, hearing the hangers screech as I made room for myself, and feeling the soft fabric against my face that made it feel like an adventure, even if I was just hiding from my mom. The only rule to my game was that as long as I could still see my mom, I was good. 

When she would start looking around for me, that meant she was ready to check out. I would let her call my name a couple of times because it would make me chuckle, but I always came out of my hiding spot whenever I heard a sense of frustration in her voice. 

With my dad (God rest his soul), however, it was a completely different story. We could be shopping at a Mexican market or a swap meet or I could be playing inside the arcade at a casino and all he had to do was whistle to indicate that I had to wrap things up. This whistle was unlike any other I had ever heard, and I always knew it was my dad. The moment he called me by my last name I knew it meant business. “Carrasco!” he would exclaim, and it didn’t matter who was around or where we were, that meant the show was over.

Sister, Jesus says in today’s Gospel Acclamation, “My sheep hear my voice . . . I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Out of obedient love for God, do you allow your ears to hear His voice? Do you follow Him instantly, or do you feel like the invitation to His paternal heart is too great for you to accept? 

Let's make an effort to hear God’s voice and allow ourselves to follow Him wherever we may be in our journey of faith.