Hearing may be blocked by plain speaking

Sometimes the demand to “tell us plainly” acts against true discernment and growth. The request for plain talking may come because the listener has not heard. John tells of this demand being made of Jesus in the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today. Jesus reveals that he is the Shepherd who is one with the Divine. Those who hear His voice are His sheep. This is not a declaration of exclusion. It is an appeal to listen to the promptings of the indwelling Spirit which heals and opens the person to the evidence that the Divine seeks to be known to the person. The Acts of the Apostles tells of the events at Antioch where the Gentiles were hearing the call to a relationship with Jesus in large numbers and they began to be known as Christians.