In today’s Gospel, Jesus displays a childlike trust and simplicity. His response to the Jews is simple and direct: his works testify to who he is. When he talks about his sheep, his thought is straightforward: he knows them, and they follow him. When he says that his sheep cannot be taken away from him, he shows a childlike trust in the Father: my Father gave them to me, so no one can take them away.
Jesus is like a child confident in the love of his parents; nothing can shake him. If we look at the saints, like Ignatius and Thérèse, we see the same confidence and trust.
As Christians, we are invited into that same relationship of loving confidence. As Jesus says, we are a gift to him from the Father. If we place our trust in him, nothing will take us away.
—William Manaker, S.J., a Jesuit scholastic of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province, is studying philosophy at Loyola University Chicago.