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September 25, 2018
Today’s readings are all about listening to God’s word - God’s voice - and acting upon it. We are invited to consider what value we place on the voice of God amidst all the other voices that clamor for our attention in life. We listen to what we value, and Jesus is calling upon us to listen to God’s voice above all else.
In the Book of Proverbs, Solomon writes, “Whoever makes a fortune by a lying tongue is chasing a bubble over deadly snares.” (v.6) What a potent image. From childhood, many of us know the fragile, fleeting nature of a bubble. As they were cast into the air, we would run screaming after them only to soon realize they had burst upon the tips of our fingers or faded silently into the atmosphere. Solomon suggests that to set our eyes on worldly objects, especially those that bend our moral compass, will not only lead us astray, but will cause our feet to get caught up in snares that leave us trapped in death-dealing places. Alas, stay attentive to that which captures the gaze and the effect it has on our feet.
At times we can find ourselves wondering if we are indeed listening to God’s voice or that of some imposter. It is then that we can pray the words of Thomas Merton from his work, Thoughts in Solitude:
“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”