FORWARD TOGETHER
“Obey!” That’s one word some of us don’t like to hear too often. It brings to mind images of servants and slaves. In a society where independence, self-determination and equality are held in high esteem, how can we say that obedience is something that should be uppermost in our minds and in our hearts? If you do a search of the internet for the word, ‘obedience’, you will come up with a lot of web pages that are related to obedience training for your dog. That’s not the kind of obedience our Scriptures are referring to.
The psalm this weekend (Psalm 40) is a description of the faithful followers of God. It is placed in our liturgy to be a description of Jesus, the one who most perfectly listened to his Father, but it is also there for ourselves as followers of Christ. Jesus saw the divine everywhere he went – in the fields and flowers, in the desert and the sea, in the children and the poor. He was attuned to find traces of God everywhere. He had an open eye…and ear.
As many of you know, the word obedience comes directly from the Latin word which means ‘to listen.’ That is the best meaning of the word. When we obey, we are listening closely, and then responding to what we hear. But this listening isn’t just done with our ears. In fact, more often than not, this listening is done with our hearts.
We listen by becoming aware of what’s happening in our lives, in the lives of those we love, in the lives of those we don’t care about and in the lives of those who are far away. God can speak to us in any way and anywhere God wishes to. As you are watching the news or some talk show, God may be speaking to you. As you listen to your child tell you about something that he or she found exciting or interesting, God may be speaking to you. As your partner tells you how he or she has been feeling, God may be calling you to obedience.
In every situation, there is at least the possibility that God is speaking to us. That’s why we need to be aware of the people and situations we meet each day. It is possible that God is talking to you more clearly through those with whom you work and play than even through something directly religious, like a book or sermon. By the way, that’s no excuse to stop listening to the one preaching at Mass. I’m just trying to make a point. God is not restricted by anything we create.
A wealthy business man, who was well known for being ruthless and unethical, told Mark Twain that before he died, he wanted to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He said that when he got there he wanted to climb to the top of Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments, and there read the Ten Commandments at the top. “I have a better idea,” Twain replied, in his typical wit, “you could stay in Boston and keep them.”
Mark Twain got it right. We don’t need to search out some exotic or overtly religious place in order to be obedient. In fact, the place where we live is the place where we most need to listen.
I’m not saying that it is always a clear and simple thing to know the voice of God. Far from it. At times, it is in agony, confusion and distress that we seek to discover what God is trying to say in our lives. When we fall sick, are in a distressing relationship, have trouble at work, feel lost in the world, experience the death of a close friend, move to another city or town - - in other words, whenever we feel ourselves in a state of serious unease, we need to center ourselves so that we have a chance of hearing what God is asking of us.
And, at times, we are asked to be what Jesus was, that is, obedient unto death. Obedience can cost a great deal. If you are a person who listens closely to the suffering of the poorest of the poor around the world, you know that you can’t sit back in your comfort and not do anything. Obedience requires sacrifice. We need to do something to help our suffering brothers and sisters. Perhaps this means giving up some creature comfort, having less to spend on ourselves, or even giving some direct help to those women, children and men who need so much. We all need a reference letter from the poor in order to enter the Kingdom of God...Heaven.
Let us pray that each of us will have the desire to open our hearts in obedience as we strive to listen to God’s voice in our lives.
FORWARD TOGETHER AND NO ONE LEFT BEHIND.
Fr. Bill