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At times, we struggle to hear God’s voice. Personally, I have felt adrift as of late. Too many changes (three weddings, a new house, two daughters moving, health struggles), not enough time to rest and trying to hear God’s voice -- just haven’t mixed well. He sounded muffled in my head; I needed His direction and His consolation.
Praying my Rosary one Thursday, I had an epiphany! He speaks to us through the Luminous Mysteries!
The Baptism of the Lord. This is the first time the Blessed Trinity appears together in Sacred Scripture. Jesus models baptism and confirmation for us and God speaks, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17) If I am to model my life after Christ, then I too must strive to please God and rest in his assurance that he does delight in me. (Psalm 37:4)
The Wedding at Cana. The Blessed Mother instructs the servants at the wedding feast to, "Do whatever he tells you." (John 2:5) This too is an instruction to all Christians. We need to follow what Christ has instructed us to do through Sacred Scripture and the Traditions of the Catholic Faith. This requires study and obedience. As a wise priest once said, “There is no standing still in Faith; you are either moving forward or backward.”
The Proclamation of the Kingdom. The Beatitudes are introduced in this mystery. In a sense, you could say Jesus is telling us to listen to him. He spells out how we as Christians should live. (Matthew 5:1-16) He concludes with, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) This is a reminder to understand that all our good works are motivated by the Holy Spirit and as such, we should give the glory to God and not ourselves. We need to spend time in thanksgiving and praise!
The Transfiguration. Again, we hear God’s voice saying, “This is my chosen Son, listen to him.” (Luke 9:35) Listening requires quiet, it requires prayer and it requires time. We cannot hear Jesus if we are not in conversation with him often. Spending time in Adoration, at Mass, and in conversational prayer with the Lord will help us to listen. If we imagine trying to have any other friendship without listening to the other person, we recognize it wouldn’t be a relationship for long.
The Institution of the Eucharist. Catholic Christianity demands that we educate ourselves on the teaching of the Eucharist. It is the one thing that strongly distinguishes us from other Christian religions. We listen to the words of Christ, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:24) This is a reminder to approach God’s table often and in a state of grace. Frequenting the Sacrament of Reconciliation will help us to remove the clutter of sin that stands between us and receiving Christ’s grace in the Eucharist. It will help us to be in communion with God and each other and to hear God’s voice.
Copyright 2020 Mary Lou Rosien
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