I do not know if you realized that we humans love to follow or go along with people that think and act like us. We like to be around people that have a similar point of view, and we might get angry or upset with people that do not think or act like us. Thinking “how can you believe that.” It is easy for us to get caught up in groupthink and try not to see it from another side or angle.
I say all this because sometimes we might not always follow the Shepherd Jesus Christ who is calling our names and inviting us to Himself because we are caught up in something that is not from God. We get caught up in something some human said and forget to follow or more like it, get distracted by human thoughts and things. Sometimes we give these people or things more space in our mind than Jesus Himself and forget what Jesus is telling us to do. We get caught up with other things than the Good Shepherd. This even can be a priest on social media to influencers or something of the earth. If they are not leading us to be like or follow Jesus, then we might want to change things up.
We are all called to follow and put Jesus before everything else in our lives. What is it in your life that is not of and leading us to being like and following Jesus? What are we truly following in our lives? What is distracting us from Jesus? These things are what we need to prioritize in our lives. Not more things of the earth, not groups that think and act like us, not some human being, but Jesus Christ Himself. What can you do to make this change?
I do want to also add not what we think Jesus wants, but what Jesus does and teaches. The other side of this that we think we know what Jesus does, but that might be based on some human being things. Just a general rule of thumb for Jesus, if whatever is not showing love and mercy towards other humans’ beings, then it probably is not from Jesus. We are all called to love everyone and not to make a divide or hurt someone by our comments. We are not going to help or love others by telling them they are wrong in this way, but by helping them to understand why they need to change. Jesus would walk with the person to help them to love God more. Of course there is more, so read your Bibles, okay?
Brothers and sisters, do we follow the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ himself? Or someone who claims we know what Jesus wants us to do? Or maybe something of the earth? We are called to do what Jesus does and follow him, so now try to do just that?
Given on The Fourth Sunday of Easter Year A