The Voice of the LORD

                                                                                                THE VOICE OF THE LORD

 A favorite song of my prayer group was “Forever Grateful.” Though mobility now prevents my attendance, the song still resonates in my heart. Moreover, certain lines cue into

the essence of our relationship with the Lord: “You did not wait for me to cry out to you/But you let me hear your voice calling me.” The “you” of the lyric is, of course, the Lord,

the Devine Initiator, who in his infinite mercy lets us hear his voice. Our role is to respond, to listen like Mary at the feet of the Lord. In this article we shall establish that this

listening both transforms and empowers us to bring the Good News into the modern world.   

          First, we must determine what sitting at the Lord’s feet signifies. In Luke’s account of Jesus’ visiting Martha and her sister, Mary, Martha slaves away preparing a meal,

while Mary seems to ignore Martha to sit and listen to Jesus. Even Jesus seems to side with Mary: “[Martha] …you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need for

of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken from her” (Lk.10:42).

         The above Martha/Mary passage is one requiring close reading. Some would favor overworked Martha. But listening to the voice of the Lord through the text reveals Mary

realizes she is in the presence of God, so she must first listen to Jesus just as the Father directed the disciples at the Transfiguration: “This is my son, the Beloved; listen to   

him.” This interpretation acknowledges the priority of listening to the Lord. If we listen to the Lord first, all other things fall into place

   Secondly, we ask how do we learn to sit at the Lord’s feet?  Again Scripture, the Old Testament, offers an answer. In 1 Kings we picture the prophet Elijah despairing over

Jezebel’s treachery and killings. But an angel tells him, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is to pass by” (19:11). In a cave Elijah hears first the

wind splitting mountains and breaking rocks, but the Lord is not in the wind. Then a fire follows an earthquake. But the Lord is not in either. Only after “a sound of sheer

silence” does Elijah realize the Lord is passing by.  We too must wait upon the Lord; to sit at the Lord’s feet we have to experience silence in the Lord.

        But some may counter we are not all Thomas Merton living the contemplative life in a monastery. True, but even Thomas Merton eventually admitted, as do the Fathers of

Vatican II, the contemplative heart, i.e. the listening heart, is for all whether we are a mother of four children, a minister or priest in a parish house.  Thus, despite the noise of

the modern world infused with rapidly changing technology, the Lord calls us to an enclave of silence. As William H. Shannon writes in Thomas Merton’s Paradise  Journey, “We

hear God with ‘the ears of our ‘heart’ which are attuned to the silence of God”(p.94). Then we can embrace the modern world, especially the poor as Pope Francis himself

modeled for us.

        But the hustle and bustle of the day may still distract some. To help us we have a model in Mary, the Mother of  Jesus, whom Pope Francis called “the Virgin of listening

and contemplation (The Atlantic Renewal, July/August 2014, p.10). Though at first startled by the angel, Mary listens with a trusting, docile, prayerful heart and with her yes

(her fiat) she becomes through the Holy Spirit the Mother of  God.

        Like Mary, when we listen to God’s word, whether it be at Mass, at a prayer meeting or in private worship, Jesus through the Spirit becomes incarnate in our hearts. This

“birthing” of God’s word (our fiat, let it be done onto me) in our hearts transforms us much like the early apostles.    

        What makes the fishermen Simon (Peter), Andrew, and John drop their nets immediately and follow Jesus? Did they know from studying the scrolls that the Messiah was

calling them? Uneducated, they likely did not read the scrolls. Scholars may dispute just how fast they responded, but as Luke writes, “When they got to the shore, they left

everything and followed him” (Lk. 5:11).  Hearing the voice of the Shepherd, they could only drop their very livelihood and follow Jesus. We may not be called to this radical

response, but the passage again is about priorities.

        In sum, the Lord is constantly speaking to our hearts, especially at key times: Eucharist, Gospel proclamation, and significant moments and events. But as we have said,

the Lord does not put mere words on our heart; he touches us with his infinite mercy. Let us recollect those lyrics from “Forever Grateful: “You did not wait for me to cry out

toyou, But you let me hear your voice calling me.” God in his mercy does not wait for us to plead to him: he is always present whether we are hearing Mass, attending an

interfaith service, reflecting on scripture, or even mowing the lawn!  Our responsibility in all these circumstances should be like young Samuel. After Eli realizes the Lord has

really been calling Samuel, he tells Samuel to lie down in the temple and to say when the Lord calls him again, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1Sa. 3:9). Let this

response be our prayer too.

                                                      Bernard J. Callaghan

                                                     bandscall@eastlink,ca