The Sound of His Voice

Ivonne J. Hernandez reflects on new beginnings, prayer, and learning to recognize God’s voice in the quiet places of our lives. 

There is something lovely about new beginnings. In fact, many children’s tales end with the words, “And they lived happily ever after…”. Like a newlywed couple driving out into the sunset with a string of cans tied to the tailpipe of their car, new beginnings bring us hope. There is still time to change; there is still time to grow. Perhaps the best is yet to come.  

A Symphony of Prayer 

The beginning of a new year is a natural transition that invites us to take stock of where we are and where we want to go. We can do this as individuals, families, communities, and as a family of God. The 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope recently closed, yet I find myself drawn back to words Pope Francis shared a few years earlier: 

I would greatly desire that we devote 2024, the year preceding the Jubilee event, to a great ‘symphony’ of prayer… Prayer as the expression of a single ‘heart and soul’ (cf. Acts 4:32). (Letter to Msgr. Rino Fisichella for the Jubilee 2025, Feb. 11, 2022) 

A symphony of prayer denotes that there are different movements and different parts. Each of our instruments, coming together as one, expressing the desire of God’s own heart: 

In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. (Romans 8:26) 

Many voices are trying to get our attention, but God speaks in the silence of our hearts. This is why prayer begins with listening. It is God who begins. It is God who speaks.  

Learning to Recognize His Voice 

Recently I was praying with the verse from Mark 6:31: 

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” 

As I read those words, I felt a yearning for quiet, for solitude. I looked up a different translation, and instead of a “deserted place,” they used the phrase “a lonely place.” Usually, the word lonely carries a sad connotation, but this time it felt different. There was a certain allure in the invitation. It wasn’t a call to be by myself, but to go somewhere without distractions, so I could be alone WITH God. 

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)  

Wherever we find ourselves this new year, whether in the midst of suffering or great joy, let us remember to raise our hearts and minds to God. Let us ask for the grace to become better listeners, to listen to each other, as we sing a hymn of praise to God. In doing this, we will begin on earth our “happily ever after,” the greatest love story that was ever told.

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Copyright 2026 Ivonne J. Hernandez
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