Bishop Glen John Provost
Bishop of Lake Charles
April 21, 2013
Fourth Sunday of Easter
World Day of Prayer for Vocations
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
“My sheep hear my voice.” John 10:27
Voice science is the study of the human voice, how humans make sounds and why they are different. Experts in the field tell us that every single human voice is different. No two voices are the same. The timbre, the characteristic quality of the sound of the human voice, differs from one person to the next. The exceptional nature of each and every human voice makes it possible for us to identify someone even when he or she is hidden from our sight.
The voice of Jesus too is distinctive. This fact helps us understand what Jesus says in the Gospel. “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27). Shepherds tell us that sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd. Each shepherd’s voice being different, the sheep of the flock recognize the shepherd’s voice even before they see him. At sunrise it is that voice that calls them to pasture or summons them home to rest at sunset. And, just as the sheep learn to recognize the voice of the shepherd, we must learn to recognize the voice of Jesus.
Today is World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Vocation comes from the Latin word “to call.” The voice of Jesus issues a call. We must be able to recognize His voice.
Not long ago I was asked by a young student, “How do I know God is calling me?” I answered that you will never know if God is calling you unless you are listening, and you will never listen unless you pray. In our noisy world that is a challenge. There are so many distractions.
First, we must seek the silence that prayer requires. There are many ways that this is possible. The Church gives us one very important way. It is called Eucharistic Adoration. Many of our parishes have Eucharistic Adoration chapels or offer opportunities for visiting our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in the quiet of our churches. The men and women who have shared their call to the priesthood or the consecrated life with me all have this in common. They loved the Eucharist and they prayed every day before the Eucharistic presence of our Lord—listening to the distinctive voice of the Good Shepherd.
Second, we must come to recognize the distinctive voice of Jesus Christ. There are a great many competing voices in the world today. Some of them are quite seductive and enticing. They seduce us with pleasure and entice us with promises of material satisfaction. There is one thing, however, that all of these worldly voices share in common. They are all selfish. They give less than the promise, and they expect more then they give. They simply do not have our best interest in mind. When we follow these voices down dead end streets and over staggering cliffs, they lead us to nothing or destroy us. Such has it been with the ideologies of terrorists and the appeals of drug dealers and the merchants of death and sales of everything from abortion to the latest fad to make us rich and beautiful.
This cacophony must be silenced. Only then will we hear the voice of Jesus Christ. His voice is so different from what we hear from pundits and ideologues. His voice is selfless, not selfish. As He says in the Gospel, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:28). There are no strings attached to what He promises. All is done for our benefit. He gives us himself without asking anything in return. And then a remarkable thing happens. We give Him our love, and when we do, everything, including what we did not think possible, happens. The beloved gives all to the lover, because the lover has first given all to the beloved. In this simple fact lies the mystery of vocation.
I wish to give a warning, because I feel I must. Too often over the years have I heard young people tell me that they thought God was calling them to the priesthood or religious life, but someone, a friend or even a parent, was discouraging them. To attempt to drown out the voice of God and overcome it with human argument is a very dangerous thing indeed. The work of a good friend or loving parent is to help the young discern, not impose his or her own selfish ends. The young have enough challenges in life today without adding to their confusion by obstructing the genuine call of God to service in the priesthood or consecrated life.
On this day of prayer for vocations, I pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life in our diocese. It has been my prayer every day since I became bishop of this diocese six years ago. I often meet those who are open to the Shepherd’s voice. Has the Shepherd spoken? I think He has. Have the sheep listened? Only they can answer that question. Of one thing I am certain, however. The sheep need to hear the shepherd’s voice, and this will not happen without shepherds who allow Christ to speak through them. We need those who are willing to listen to the Shepherd’s voice and who are willing to let the Shepherd speak through them. Only then will the sheep know that they are safely in the Father’s hands.