3rd Week of Easter, Thursday, 4-18-24, Year B
Readings: 1st Reading: Acts 8:26-40; Psalm: 66:8-9,16-17,20; Gospel: Jn 6:44-51
Theme: Listening to God
The husband was sitting at the table reading his phone. His wife was telling him about where they were going that night. He looked up from his phone and said, “What, where are we going tonight? I didn’t know we were going anywhere!” The wife answered, swatting him on the head, “I told you earlier this week silly, that we had to go out tonight, you just don’t listen!”
Most of us can relate to this scenario in some way or another. We get distracted by things we have going on and we do not listen to others as we should. When this happens, we can miss opportunities, upset the one who is speaking to us, and lose out on a good experience. These are times when we really need to step back and put that cell phone or paper down and just listen.
It is no different when God speaks to us. Many times, we are just too busy or too distracted to listen to what He has to say to us. We can go about our day, never hear God speaking to us, and we can miss out on an opportunity of love or a grace He wants us to have; or more importantly, love and grace for others through us.
Philip listened to God speaking to him through the Holy Spirit and went on the way the Lord wanted him to. Philip did not know where or what he was to do on that desert road to Gaza, but he listened and went nonetheless. If Philip had been distracted or preoccupied with other things, he would have missed God speaking to him and the opportunity to bring another person, the eunuch, into God’s kingdom through Baptism.
Jesus tells us today that, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him…” How does the Father draw people? He speaks to us, in our minds, through our conscience, or in our hearts. If we listen intently, we can hear Him speaking and then we can do His will. If we are distracted with other things, we will not hear Him. Then at the end of our life, God will say to us, “You did not do any of the things I asked you to do.” And you will say, “Lord, when did You speak to me about things you wanted me to do?” He will say in return, “You did not listen to me when I asked you to love your neighbor, visit the sick, or pray for those who persecuted you. Most of all you did not respond to me with ‘Here I am Lord, I’ve come to do Your will’ when I called.”
Do not let things of this world distract you from hearing God speaking to you. Find the time every day when, in quiet contemplation and prayer, you can hear God speaking to you; listen and remember what He is asking of you. Do not miss out on opportunities when God speaks to you of love and grace that can make someone else’s life better. By listening to God, you may very well secure your eternal place in heaven with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Saint James Catholic Church 