I suspect that nearly every generation of humanity has at some point questioned whether they were going to be, or are, the ones to experience the “time of great distress” that John mentions in our second reading from the book of Revelations. It’s a natural human reaction to the problems we face, socially, politically, morally, and spiritually that always seem uniquely daunting to us. Yet through the centuries and even millennia, we have found that time and the challenges humanity faces simply move on and in most cases fade into historical obsolescence.
The thing is, there is a constant in all this that we need to always keep in the forefront of our minds, and that often proves difficult because it requires us to give up our illusion of control and influence. I am speaking of the care and shepherding we receive and are blessed with from Jesus Christ. We are indeed his sheep, and that term is unbelievably appropriate since they tend to constantly go in all sorts of different directions that make no sense – UNLESS they hear the voice of their shepherd. They know and trust that voice because they have been kept safe by it their whole lives. This is where we want to be ourselves, to be so familiar with the call of our Shepherd, that we instinctively follow and obey His voice since we know at the most intimate level that it will never steer us wrong. This comes only through a deep relationship, which He calls us to, as to every other good thing He provides us. If we but follow Him, no one can take us from His hand.
The Deacons Bench 