MASS

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Liturgical Colour: Green.

FIRST READING

A reading from the first Book of Samuel  3:3- 10. 19

MEDITATION OF THE DAY

The LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. (1 Samuel 3:19)

Learning how to listen to the voice of the Lord is key to spiritual growth. Every saint’s life illustrates this point in one way or another. Francis of Assisi heard the Lord say, “Rebuild my Church,” and even though it took him some time to understand what God meant, Francis was faithful to that command. Mother Teresa felt God ask her to leave her order and care for the poorest of the poor. These saints, and so many others, responded because these words had a powerful effect on them.

But it isn’t just in the deep, life-changing moments that God wants to speak to us. In fact, these saints could hear these “big” messages because they had experience discerning the quieter messages that Jesus put in their hearts. And that’s how it can happen for us. When we sense God telling us, “Come to me, and I will give you peace,” we can stop for a moment and turn our hearts to him. Or when we hear “Come and confess your sins,” we can make a quick examination of conscience and ask for his mercy. Responding to these small promptings will bring us closer to the Lord—and they’ll help us hear him in the bigger areas of our lives!

The Holy Spirit never tires of telling us that Jesus has redeemed us and is offering us new life. He never tires of nudging us toward more virtuous behavior so that we can become more like Christ. He never tires of helping us find the way to peace, the peace that comes from aligning ourselves with his will.

Yielding to the Lord and letting him have an effect on us—this is our great challenge. It’s easy to go our own way without listening for God’s word. But

when we see the fruit of hearing and following him, we know it is the greatest treasure we can possibly have.

Let  Us Pray: “Open my ears, Lord, to hear your word. Give me the courage to follow you wherever you lead.”