Homily – 4th Sunday of Easter – A – Fr Jeremiah Browne (National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies #southafrica #Botswana #eswatini #Swaziland)
During the dark days of apartheid when the government tried to shut down opposition by cancelling political rallies, Desmond Tutu decided that he would hold a church service in defiance of the government at St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town.
The cathedral was filled with worshippers. Outside, hundreds of police gathered, a show of force intended to intimidate. As Tutu was preaching, the armed police entered the Cathedral and lined the walls. They took out notebooks and recorded Tutu’s words.
But Tutu would not be intimidated. He preached against the evils of apartheid, declaring it could not endure. At one extraordinary point he addressed the police directly.
“You are powerful. You are very powerful, but you are not gods, and I serve a God who cannot be mocked. So, since you’ve already lost, since you’ve already lost, I invite you today to come and join the winning side!”
With that the congregation erupted in dance and song. The police didn’t know what to do. Their attempts at intimidation had failed, overcome by the archbishop’s confidence that God and goodness would triumph over evil. It was but a matter of time.
That moment was not just courage. It was belief – an unshakeable conviction that God was present, that God was speaking, and that God’s purpose would not be defeated. Tutu was listening to a voice deeper than fear, and that voice shaped how he lived.
That is where every vocation begins – not with a role, but with a voice. Maybe in our heads we have an idea that vocation is about priesthood, religious life, marriage, service. That is part of the story, but before any of that, vocation is about listening. It is about recognising a voice.
In today’s Gospel (John 10:1–10), Jesus says, “The shepherd calls his own sheep… and they follow him… because they recognise his voice.”
That simple image is both comforting and challenging. Comforting, because it reminds us that God does speak, that we are not left alone to figure everything out. Challenging, because it raises the question: whose voice are we actually listening to?
Every day we are surrounded by voices – fear, comfort, pressure, expectation. They are loud, persuasive, and familiar. They tell us to play it safe, to avoid risk, to stay where we are.
Over time, those voices can drown out the voice of Christ, not because He is silent, but because we are distracted. Learning to recognise the voice of the true shepherd takes time, silence, and openness. It asks us to slow down, to pay attention, and to trust that when God calls, it is always towards something greater, never something less.
The real question is whether we believe that God is actually speaking into our lives. We say we believe in God, but do we trust Him enough to listen? Or have we filled our lives with so much noise that His voice has no space?
Tutu stood in that cathedral surrounded by armed men because he trusted God’s voice more than the voice of fear. That is what gave him courage.
The same is true for us. If we truly believe that God has a purpose for our lives, it changes everything. It means we stop settling for a small, safe version of ourselves. It means we begin to trust that Christ is not leading us to a place that diminishes us, but into something fuller. Jesus makes that clear in today’s Gospel when he declares that “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
That is the promise at the heart of every vocation, every call from God in our lives. God’s call will stretch us. It demands trust. It may lead us where we don’t plan to go. But it will never diminish our life – it will deepen them.
When we listen for his voice and have the courage to follow it, even when it stretches us, we begin to discover a life marked by purpose, generosity, and deep joy.
Today is not about asking, “What should I do with my life?” It is about asking, “Whose voice am I listening to?” Fear has a voice. Comfort has a voice. The world has many voices. But Christ has a voice too – steady, calling, life-giving.
The question is not whether Jesus is calling, but whether we will trust that voice enough to follow it. Not when it is easy, but when it stretches us; not when it is clear, but when it asks for faith. If we do, we will discover that we are not being led into something smaller, but into the fullness of life that Christ promises.
That is where vocation begins: in listening, in trusting, and in having the courage to step forward. When we do, like Tutu, we will stand not on fear, but on the quiet, unshakeable certainty that God is already at work, leading us into a future shaped not by fear, but by hope.
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Please consider praying a decade of the rosary on a daily basis for the evangelising Mission of the Church and the Pope’s intentions.
The Pope’s prayer intention for April is for priests in crisis
Let us pray for priests going through moments of crisis in their vocation, that they may find the accompaniment they need and that communities may support them with understanding and prayer.
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Blessed Pauline Jaricot, Pray for us. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
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