BE STILL AND LISTEN
“This is what I commanded my people: Listen to my voice.” - Jeremiah 7:23
Listening to God’s voice requires effort and work. First, we must make space available to listen, and second, we must discern what God is saying to us. Time, patience, and silence are rarities, especially concerning prayer. Yet, the prophet Jeremiah tells us that God commands us to listen.
In his book, The Disappearance of Rituals, the philosopher Byung-Chul Han writes, “The divine commands silence. Silence gives rise to listening.It is accompanied by a special receptivity, by a deep, contemplative attentiveness. Today’s compulsion of communication means that we can close neither our eyes nor our mouths. It desecrates life.” Han’s strong message points to a social paralysis towards our hesitation to be silent and listen. In some ways, we can be afraid of it. We may think taking time away to pray is either unproductive or a wasteful indulgence. Yet, if we cannot be still and silent, we cannot listen.
Is there hope for us even amid debilitating noise? Even when we fail to be silent, God’s voice is powerful and unwavering. In today’s Gospel from Luke, even demons who tormented the mute man listened to Jesus’s voice. Although the demons produced some of the noisiest raucous, they listened and obeyed. In the cacophony of the noise, God’s voice rings true. It is more powerful than the forces that seek to pull us down and debilitate us. It liberates us from the causes that seek to desecrate life.
The evil one seeks to distract and tempt us at every corner, pulling our attention away from Jesus, who is the source of our peace. God asks us to be still, silent, and listen, not to patronize or control us but to ground us in his mercy and love. Therefore, let us heed God's commandment and take time to hear his voice, and by doing so, rest in the knowledge that we are loved and free.
What are the noises or voices distracting you from hearing God’s voice? How can you be more intentional today to listen to the merciful voice of God?
Alex Llanera, SJ