May, 11 2010
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
By Beth DeCristofaro
About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose… (the jailer) and all his family were baptized at once. (Acts 16:25-26,33)
Jesus said to his disciples: “Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:15-17)
Piety
Teach me to listen, O God, to those nearest me, my family, my friends, my co-workers. Help me to be aware that no matter what words I hear, the message is, “Accept the person I am. Listen to me.” Teach me to listen, my caring God, to those far from me– the whisper of the hopeless, the plea of the forgotten, the cry of the anguished. Teach me to listen, O God my Mother, to myself. Help me to be less afraid to trust the voice inside — in the deepest part of me. Teach me to listen, Holy Spirit, for your voice — in busyness and in boredom, in certainty and doubt, in noise and in silence. Teach me, Lord, to listen. Amen. (John Veltri, S.J.)
Study
“Then some man wrestled with (Jacob) until the break of dawn.” (Genesis)
“There an angel of the LORD appeared to (Moses) in fire flaming out of a bush” (Exodus)
“Then the LORD said (to Elijah), ‘Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by.’… After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.” (1 Kings)
“God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel, and he cried aloud: "I will have no part in the death of this woman named Susana)." (Daniel)
“(John and Jesus) saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove coming upon him” (Matthew)
“…from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind… there appeared to them tongues as of fire” (Acts)
“…a severe earthquake shook the foundations of the jail” (Acts)
It is utterly astounding and wondrous how many ways God attempts to speak to us. God just does not take a hasty “no. God does not accept indifference. God does not abandon us when we are confused. Several weeks ago I went on a retreat in Southern Virginia. We were in the country; Norfolk’s lights on the horizon were not enough to dim the countless stars. It was as if God was declaring to me: “See my grandeur. I share my glory with you and invite you to be inspired by beauty and reminded of your place in my Creation.”
Hearing God can be as easier said than done, like standing still in an earthquake, or noticing a subtle, whispering sound. Watching a baby, wrapped and cuddled in her mother’s arms going home after weeks in a NICU (Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit) speaks God to me. Experiencing the gratitude of an organ recipient and witnessing his tears as he prays for the donor – who might be living or perhaps whose death gave this patient new life – speaks God to me.
Some voices are loud and clear: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” (Martin Luther King). We hear the hope of God from a new babe chick’s witness at Closing on a Cursillo weekend. Sometimes God’s voice is less obvious: The request of a child for more time with a parent or the unwelcome visits from a lonely neighbor.
Action
What speaks God to you? Do you make time to listen to God? To be with others who intentionally listen? Were you able to make School of Leaders last Saturday? Perhaps you can mark your calendar right now for the June 12 SOL to be held at Our Lady Queen of Peace.
