Do You Hear What I Hear?

“If you are willing to listen, you will learn; if you give heed, you will be wise.” Sirach 6: 33

Have you ever heard God speak to you? A lot of people, maybe most people, would say “no” to this question. Perhaps even as you read this you’re thinking that God has never spoken to you. But I think that God is speaking to us all the time in all kinds of ways. The problem is that we often aren’t listening.

What do I mean? Let’s begin by thinking about the fact that right now, wherever you are, no matter the time of day, no matter if you are inside or outside. There is music, TV shows, maybe a football game—all going on around you. Do you hear them? And I really mean that they are truly there. You can use scientific means to prove it. You think I’m crazy? I’m talking about radio waves and television waves. They are real and they are flowing through you, the air, the room you are in, the walls, etc. But you can’t hear them unless you have/do three things:

1)      You have to have the right equipment

2)      You have to have a power source and

3)      You have to be tuned-in to the right station.

It’s the same thing with listening to God. He is like the airwaves, constantly there, transmitting to us, but we do not hear. So how do we hear Him?

First of all, we need the right equipment. If you want to hear music, you don’t turn on the stove, right? If you want to watch and hear a football game, you don’t turn on the washing machine. You need a radio and a TV. Well, the Church and the Bible are our equipment. We need to read our Bibles and read what the Church teaches. Secondly, you need a power source. You can have a radio and a TV, but if they aren’t plugged-in, then you won’t get anything from them. Our power source is the Holy Spirit. And we have to be plugged into Him. We get plugged in through the sacraments which gives us God’s grace. Finally, we need to be tuned-in. You can a radio station or a TV plugged-in, but if they aren’t on the right channel, all we hear and see is static. So how do we “tune-in” to God? We pray in silence.

If we have the Bible and the Church, but we don’t receive God’s grace and never pray, will we be able to hear? If we are receiving the sacraments from time to time, but never pray, read our Bibles or study Church teaching, can we really hear? If we pray, but never receive the grace of the sacraments and never read the Bible or study the catechism, can we hear? No, no and no. We might hear some things, but certainly not the fullness of Truth. For this we need to be reading the Bible and catechism, receiving the sacraments on a regular basis and praying in silence every day. Only then can be we certain of hearing God’s voice speak to us.

We have got to recognize the grasp that Satan has on the culture and begin to tune-out the noise and voices all around us. God is like a tiny whispering sound amidst all the clamoring masses, but He is the voice of Truth. He is speaking to us every day in so many ways. Are we listening?

Dear Jesus, I know that I hear what I want to hear and I want to hear Your voice. Please give me the grace to tune-out the world and tune-in to Your Truth every day. Amen.