In our Gospel reading today, Jesus refers to the Shema prayer. The Shema is originally from Deuteronomy chapter 6, starting at verse 4.
" שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל " means “Hear O Israel”. I have always found it interesting that, according to our reading today, the greatest commandment in all of Scripture, simply begins with “to hear”. It doesn’t say to read. It doesn’t say to study. It doesn’t say to discuss. It certainly doesn’t say to argue. It doesn’t say to decide. It simply says to hear.
As it relates to hearing in our spiritual life, I van’s help but think our friend Elijah in the desert cave as he learned to ignore the cacophony of noises from the wind, earthquake, and fire in order to truly hear the light silent sound of the Lord calling to him.
I also think of our Gospel reading from Ash Wednesday, as we were beginning this Lenten journey. That reading from the in the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus indicates the importance of hearing when He said, go to your inner room, close the door (presumably to the noises of the secular world), and pray to our Father in secret.
Jesus again stresses the importance of hearing later in the Gospel of Matthew when He describes how to treat those who do not listen to His Church. Again, there is nothing about reading, studying, discussing, or deciding. The idea is simply to hear.
As you know, we have been very intentional as a parish community throughout this season of Lent in our attempt to create more moments of silence that allow us to better hear the Word of God in our midst. For me, it has been a good reminder that, as Saint Paul said in his letter to the Romans, “faith comes from what is heard”.
So, how are we doing this Lent? How well are we hearing the light silent sound of the Lord, as described in the first book of Kings? How well are hearing the voice of Christ through His Church, as described in the Gospel of Luke? How well are we hearing the leaders the Holy Spirit has placed in the Church, as described in the letter to the Hebrews?
Have we been able to detach ourselves from the wind, earthquake, fire, and other noises of the secular world around us in order to truly allow ourselves to hear what the Lord is trying to say to us? Have we created enough space in our lives to truly hear what the Lord has to say? Have we detached ourselves from our preconceived plans and personal desires in order to understand the will of God as opposed to manipulating what we think we hear to support what we want?
The ultimate challenge of our reading today is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength; and to love our neighbor as ourself. But, we recognize this challenge starts with hearing. We must hear the light silent sound of the Lord within and we must hear the voice of Christ through His Church and perhaps even through our neighbor. We must allow ourselves to truly hear the Word of God in order that we might be guided and transformed by His will.
We have approximately two more weeks before we enter into the holiest week of the year…the week that we walk with our Lord through His passion, death, and resurrection. Let us renew our resolve to enter into this sense of holy silence. Let us truly open our ears and our hearts to the voice of the Lord calling to us out of the silence. Let us intensify our desire and our effort to let go of the need to justify our desires, our decisions, and our actions. Let us conform ever more deeply to the will of God as opposed to the human desires, plans, and ideas that we are bombarded with from the noise around us.
Because, it is only through the holy silence, that we can truly return to the Lord, our God, and hear His voice.
Thanks be to God.
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