Acts 13:14, 43-52 / Apocalypse 7:9, 14-17 / John 10:27-30
The five senses that we have are very useful and necessary in life.
To be able to see, hear, smell, taste and feel, helps us to interact with our surroundings and the people around us, and respond accordingly.
It is difficult to say which of the five senses is the most important or is an absolute necessity. Obviously, all the five senses work together to help us understand others and to have a better understanding and relationship with them.
From our senses, others may be able to guess what we are doing and even thinking.
So, others will know from our eyes if we are staring at something, or staring at someone or staring into space.
And even by looking at our eyes, others may know what is going on within us, as it is said that the eyes are the windows to the heart.
But it is not that easy to know what a person is hearing or listening to just by looking at the ears.
Furthermore, we have the ability of selective hearing, so it does not mean that the loudest sound or sweetest voice will capture our attention.
In the gospel, Jesus said that the sheep that belong to Him listen to His voice. He knows His sheep and they follow Him.
The unique relationship between the shepherd and the sheep is that the sheep listen to the voice of the shepherd.
So, even if two or three flocks of sheep were mixed together, the shepherd just have to call out and only his sheep will follow him.
But it may not be the case with human beings. In this world, there are many sounds and voices that we hear. But what is it that we are listening to?
We will listen to someone when we know that the person cares for us, protects us and loves us.
That is why one person that we will listen to is our mothers, although many a times they may wonder if we are listening to them.
But the fact that we do listen to our mothers, is that every now and then we will say that “my mother told me”.
And as we celebrate Mother's Day, it is certainly good to let the mothers know that their children do listen to them. It will certainly give them some consolation.
Yes, our mother's voice is the voice that we heard while we were in her womb and her voice will have an influence on us somehow.
And from our mother's voice, we hear the voice of Jesus, and through our mothers, we feel the care, the protection and the love of Jesus for us.
This Sunday is also known as a Vocation Sunday. It reminds us that Jesus is calling us to a particular state of life as He has a particular mission for each of us.
On Vocation Sunday, we highlight the call to the priesthood and also to the religious life.
In seven weeks’ time, on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, Deacon Simon Ho will be ordained to the priesthood.
He has heard the call of Jesus and responded to His voice. And it can be quite certain that his mother's voice also echoed the call of Jesus and helped Deacon Simon to deepen the call.
We pray that the voice of all mothers also echoes the voice of Jesus the Good Shepherd.
May mothers speak in a way that their children will want to listen to them, and may they listen in a way that their children would want to speak to them.
And may mothers help their children discern the call of Jesus, and to help them find their vocation in life.