My sheep know me…
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (Jn. 10:27-30 rsvce)
Father Joseph Mary Wolfe, a Franciscan Missionary of the Eternal Word, of EWTN, at this morning’s Liturgy, gave a wonderful homily on this subject. In addition to sheep, he talked about spires and bald eagles, both subjects close to my heart. The spires are in small towns in Iowa where he’s from. These spires are of beautiful churches with great altars from days of old. His area is relatively close to the Mississippi River which forms the Eastern boundary of Iowa. Although Father did not say so, Bald Eagles do perch on top of towers and spires. My interest is in birds of prey because I used to study and band them for a time. We banded them for identification. The species we caught in Florida, were principally the Red tailed and Red shouldered Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper’s Hawk (less frequently), Merlin and Peregrine Falcon, for which we had special licenses. See https://www.dmfofs2.com/my-adventures-with-birds
Father, in his homily, mentioned the eagles flew down to the river to grab a fish or two, to eat them. Ospreys do this also. Peregrine falcons will fly down at very fast speeds from the clouds to capture rodents or other small animals. It’s interesting to watch, and to me exciting because they can fly at speeds over 150 mph. We had a special blind (a structure set up so the bird could not see us) on stilts (actually, telephone poles), so that we could look over the trees (of the Savannas Preserve State Park, Southeast Florida), and see birds approach, using binoculars. My research partner was Peter Polisse, Jr. (may he rest in peace), several other friends, and myself. All this, and the people involved, are a happy memory. This raptor banding project took place in the years 1985-1988. I began banding on Long Island, in New York State in 1964, tagging small migratory birds, on weekends and eventually in New Jersey and Virginia. The raptor banding didn’t begin until I moved to Florida.
Let’s get back to Jn. 10:27-30. When we follow Jesus, he knows us. The more we study and praise Him for His greatness, the happier we’ll be here, and especially in heaven. This is another powerful Scripture, where Jesus tells us (that) “they (the sheep) follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish…” All of John’s Chapter 10 is revealing about God’s goodness and love. We are the sheep, because they are humble and meek as we are expected to be. Very often, our ego won’t let us, and the day will come where we need make a decision what’s more important.
Peace and all Good,
Fred Schaeffer, OFS
April 28, 2026