In John's gospel, Jesus describes himself in two ways: The Shepherd and The Gate.
He is the One we follow. He is The Way we follow ~ in humility, obedience, and trust.
Easy to say. Hard to do ~ hard to do, only if we leave out the humility, obedience,
and trust trio. It's no sheepish task to latch onto these three virtues and strive
to live them daily.

Humility is an honest acceptance of all that we are here and now, yes, all that is light
or darkness in us. The root of obedience means to heed, to listen. Most folks tussle
with humility and obedience; our pride often displaces our desired intention
to be humble and to listen. Perhaps this is where the trust comes into play.
To trust God is to demonstrate a confident reliance on God's holy presence
in our lives. We humbly accept who we are and desire to become in nature and grace.

We listen and heed the call of the Good Shepherd, with trusting hearts. We follow
our Good Shepherd, whose humility, obedience, and trust lead us on The Way
into the gates of eternal life.

-Janis McQuade, SSJ

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