THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
There is no shortage of voices to listen to in our society. Daily we are bombarded with thousands of messages promising us all sorts of blessings and benefits. This can make it tough to hear God’s voice. That’s why it’s so important that we learn to listen intentionally and attentively. This Sunday your worship may focus on the Gospel reading (which describes how Mary sat listening at Jesus’ feet) or it may be based on Amos’ vision of a time of judgement on Israel’s injustice when there would be a famine of hearing God’s word. The contrast between these two readings is significant. On the one hand Mary, a woman who was usually excluded from learning or discussing the Torah – the law – breaks convention to listen to Christ’s words, and on the other hand, the people become deaf to God’s word because they refuse to listen. This is the key message this week – listening takes work, and if we refuse to listen, we will inevitably become unable to hear what God is saying.
The practice of listening for God’s voice is not some mystical, magical experience in which we hear loud, booming voices. Rather, God’s voice is usually heard in our own hearts, and in the words of others. That’s why it’s equally important that we learn to listen well to others, and to the voice in our own hearts.
This week, we will explore what it means to listen for God’s voice.
To download this week’s reflections in PDF format, click here.
