NATIONAL SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF LA SAETTE
LENTEN MESSAGE
THURSDAY, MARCH 23
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23

By S ally Riconscente 

"Listen to My Voice"
 
Do you listen? Are your ears and heart open to 'hear' the voice of the Lord as He speaks in myriad ways each day, in the silence of our hearts, through the words of others, or in the events that unfold in our lives? These were the questions that I posed to myself when the First Reading was proclaimed today.  To my chagrin, my answers were not a resounding, 'yes'. What were your answers? 
Yet, this 'listening' is not an option for us if we pay careful attention to the words of the reading:  "This is what I commanded my people: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people." I must admit that in all the years of hearing this passage, I never focused on the word, 'commanded.'  Our God is clear and to the point: we must listen to His voice if He is to be our God and we are to be His people.
How will we hear His voice amidst the incessant noise of our busy lives? How will we know which voice is His amidst the constant bombardment of information directed at us each day? How will we recognize the meaning of the events in our lives and the threads they weave in the tapestry of our lives? Today's verse before the Gospel tells us how: "Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, for I am gracious and merciful." Our Lord is always waiting for us with His gentle invitation to come to Him with our whole heart.
Have I given Him my whole heart? Have you?
Do we cultivate that attitude of heart to be receptive to the many ways in which His voice might be heard?  Do we set aside time each day, even for just moments at a time, that He might speak to us? Do we seek companionship with other faithful Catholics to discern His words? Perhaps these acts on our part would be a first step in obeying His command to "Listen to {His} voice." 




NATIONAL SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE
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