In today’s gospel from John, Jesus tells those wanting an answer from him about whether he is Christ; they want a plain answer. Jesus’s response gives me pause. He says that his sheep hear his voice. That’s my pause. I know Jesus’s voice is there, but do I let that voice get drowned out by the noise that surrounds me? Do I let my own ego, the clamor of wants and modern distractions muffle the sound of what I should be hearing from Jesus? Am I really listening to what Jesus says? Do I filter the message through what seems convenient at the moment? I will be a better person later. Tomorrow. I don’t want to think about the hard choices. I want to take the easy road.

I know Jesus loves me and forgives me. Do I do the same for my neighbor? My family? My colleagues? Do my actions in my everyday life serve as an echo of what Jesus says? Are my intentions good but are my actual responses weak?  What can I do today to filter out the cacophony of temptations and distractions that keep me from hearing in my heart what God wants from me? How can I brush aside my ego, my desire to be in charge and surrender to God? How can I be still amid the clanging and banging of what seems important to really hear that voice of God?

I pray that I find that stillness today, that I listen for God’s voice and that voice reverberates in my actions and my life.