Deacon Stu Dobson’s Reflection
Friday, Week 10 in Ordinary Time, Yr 2 June 10, 2022
1 Kgs 19: 9a, 11-16; Ps 27:7-9c, 13-14; Mt 5:27-32
If I were to ever write a poem, I’d like to start with the line, “In a whisper…” Why? Because when you whisper, you are saying something so very intimate, it is just between you and the one you are whispering to. Have you ever noticed that when a young child wants to tell you something that is very important to them, they whisper? So, when Elijah went out looking for God, he did not find Him until he heard a faint whisper of a sound. It is there he found God and God talked with him. It is there God whispered to Elijah and told Elijah to anoint the kings. Out of a small whisper, great things abound.
Jesus uses a strong message about adultery to get our attention. However, if you notice, He is saying it to a small group, His disciples. It is a message that we all need to hear about the choices we make regarding sinful acts and the consequences of making those choices, but Jesus does it in a way that is in a very intimate setting. As you contemplate the message of adultery, hear it in a whisper that is very intimate, but so important for our own wellbeing. The choices we make in our actions have very loud strong consequences such as what will happen if we commit adultery, or any sin for that matter. We need to hear about these sins and the consequences, but isn’t it better to hear them from Jesus in a way that is not yelling? And, as we teach those near to us about sinful acts and consequences, isn’t it better they hear about it in a whisper of love, not yelling anger?
The next time you sit down to pray, listen for that whisper, the whisper of love that is meant just for you. Maybe it will begin like this:
“In a whisper, I heard God’s love.
Not God’s condemnation,
but God’s guidance of love.
So, I sat in silence waiting to hear,
the intimate words so close to my ear.
Like a child’s soft words so close to my heart,
I would never want to do anything to tear us apart.”
Saint James Catholic Church 