John 10:1-10
Jesus said:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
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Something that FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, does so beautifully is discipleship. FOCUS missionaries follow Jesus closely so that they can make their students disciples by helping them follow Jesus closer. In turn, their disciples eventually become disciple makers. They have disciples of their own who they help to follow Jesus more closely, and the spiritual multiplication cycle continues. This Sunday’s Gospel reminds me of discipleship. A FOCUS missionary named Courtney has been my discipler since my junior year, and my life has changed in so many ways since then. Discipleship has helped me to continually choose Christ and make him the heart of each decision I make. I learned how to grow in virtue, how to deepen my prayer life, and how to find my identity as a daughter of the Lord. Courtney persistently fought for me, seeing how much I could grow and always encouraging me to be a closer disciple of Christ. After becoming so rooted in Christ, I was entrusted with a disciple of my own. I became close with Morghan through the dance department and the Newman Center. As dance majors, became close not only through dance, but also through Bible Studies, women’s nights, Rock Catholic, and even just doing homework at the Newman Center. I watched her grow in her faith as she began seeking Christ more. When she entered into discipleship, our friendship became more Christ-centered as we talked about virtue, prayer, and spiritual multiplication. This Sunday’s Gospel is a model of discipleship and moral authority. It reminds us to follow Christ so closely that we resemble him. This way, the sheep will recognize Christ’s voice in us and we’ll lead them in their walk with the Lord.
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