Are We Listening?

Some years ago, when I was in our diocesan vocation office, I had the opportunity to attend a vocation gathering in north central Kansas. One of the speakers was a diocesan priest and he talking about listening and vocations. His comment to those gathered was, "I don't believe we have a shortage of vocations, but we have a shortage of listeners." That was a profound statement and there is truth in it but I think that can apply to all of us as religious people and disciples of our Lord. As I tell people on many occasions, God speaks to us in different ways: through Scripture, through prayer, through the voices of others. God is always speaking to us but the question that we have to ask ourselves is: "Are we listening?" The prophet Jeremiah speaks of this as he writes down what the Lord is saying: "This is what I commanded my people: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you, so that you may prosper" (Jer 7:23-28). God is wanting the people to listen to His voice but they refuse. This is God's response, "They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me" (Jer 7). The psalmist even picks up on this theme in Psalm 95, "If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts." The Lord is calling out to us, He is speaking to us, and we need to have the patience to listen because He knows what is best for us. Listening is an acquired discipline! Let us pray for that great gift and use it each day so we can always keep our faces and hearts pointed in God's direction! Blessings to you!!!