Daily Reflection for Monday, May 09, 2022
Peace and Blessings, Friends, and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Monday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/050922.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Acts 11:1-18
Responsorial: Psalm 42:2-3, 43:3, 4
Gospel: John 10:1-10
Our reflection on Monday’s readings:
“The sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.” John 10:4b
Whose voice do you recognize?
I recognize a lot of voices. Of course, there are the famous voices of actors, comedians, and politicians. If we hear them often enough, we can recognize their voices in other situations like commercials and documentaries. It is interesting how this works, but these cases are not personal.
It is the voice of beloved friends and family that I cherish. I fondly remember the inflection in my deceased grandmother’s voice when she called me, “Ruth Ann” or my Mom asking, “Is this my first born?” I feel joy when I hear the voices of our grown kids say “Mom?” or grandkids shouting “Grandma!”
There is a lot of substance behind my recognizing these voices. There is time spent in one another’s presence. There is a shared history full of love and trust, pain and forgiveness, experiences, and memories. There is time spent patiently listening with my heart even though I might prefer to do something else, or it is painful to hear, or I don’t completely understand what is being said.
I believe it is this intimate communication relationship that God wants us to have with him. He wants to be lovingly involved in our life history, experiences, and daily living. He wants us to recognize his presence and his voice just as we recognize our loved ones.
If we love him, we will include him. We will patiently and attentively listen. Even when we don’t understand. Even when we don’t want to quiet down to listen. Even when it is something we do not want to hear. The relationship, one we recognize and know, is most important.
God knows your voice and he knows mine. We want him to hear our prayers and supplications. And he wants to hear us. We can’t just toss the ball to God and call it done. As we do with all loved ones, we must patiently listen and recognize his voice.
Blessings to you,
Ruth Mytty