As I have been preparing for this weekend's Masses, I have found myself being drawn to the words of the Lord in today's Gospel: "The sheep follow because they know his voice." This in turn has drawn me back to the words of Pope Benedict to young people on the Piazza of Westminster Cathedral last year on September 18th:
I ask you to look into your hearts, each day, to find the source of all true love. Jesus is always there. Quietly waiting for us to be still with him and to hear his voice. Deep within your heart, he is calling you to spend time with him in prayer, but this kind of prayer, real prayer, requires discipline.In the first fifty years of our parish church, there has been one ordination to the priesthood in St Wilfrid's. I am asking everybody at Mass this weekend to pray that the next fifty years may see more.
It requires time for moments of silence every day. Often it means waiting for the Lord to speak.
Even amidst the business and stress of our daily lives we need to make space for silence, because it is in silence that we find God. And in silence that we discover our true self. And in discovering our true self we discover the particular vocation which God has given us for the building up of his church and the redemption of our world. Heart speaks unto heart. With these words from my heart, dear young friends, this is words from my heart.I assure you of my prayers for you.
Do not be afraid to listen to the Lord and follow the promptings of the Lord. He has come so that we may have life, and have it to the full.
