“To hold the note is to spoil the song.” Richard Paul Evans

When I read Evans’ words I thought about how we try to do this in our lives. Life is a series of notes that make up the melody of our lives. Sometimes the melody is melancholy, other times it is uplifting but the melody always moves along in tune with the events we experience.

There are many aspects to music—major and minor chords, harmony, counterpoint, and much more. The instrument also adds to the beauty of the song. Pitch and volume are important. As we look back on the past, we can see how we have experienced these different aspects of life.

When we are young, we can hardly wait for the next measure. The rhythm is fast and we don’t want too many rests between the notes of our years. As we mature, the rhythm does not slow down when we marry and have a family. We look forward to those rests and there are moments when we want to hold the notes a little longer.

Holding the notes to enjoy them is fine for a little while but impossible to sustain. The melody needs to go on, to bring fullness and completion to the song we are composing. We encounter those minor, sad-sounding chords at different intervals and try to hurry through them. These are not the notes we want to hold onto. Sometimes it seems as though they will go on indefinitely but eventually they move us to the major, happier chords. Our song fluctuates between major and minor melodies to show us that joys and sorrows are not the whole composition. It is the rests between the notes that allow us to continue writing our unique song.

In life, a pause helps us enjoy certain times. You’ve heard, “Take time to smell the roses.” We stop to enjoy the moments that bring us joy. We also need a pause to think about the difficulties we are experiencing. It is during those pauses and rests in the midst of difficulties that we can allow prayer to slow us down and help us with the interval of sorrows. Prayer allows us to go inward to listen to the deep stirrings in our hearts. Prayer is the answer to the call we have received from God to listen to Him. Listening brings us comfort and peace as we quiet the instruments banging in our minds. Harmony within comes as we silence the noises that prevent us from hearing the Eternal One Who has the unfinished song in His hands.

Prayer is essential so that we do not hold onto the note that appeals to us and miss the ones that will bring us to a greater understanding of the music from the Great Composer. There is purpose in each note and it moves us to the next stanza to reveal the special song made just for us.

Listen. The song is yours. Savor each note. Rest. Pause. Pick up the rhythm and flow with it. Whether long or short, the song will lead you to the final measure, the final note of the composition created just for you. As that note fades, you will hear a new composition, a new eternal song in harmony with all those whose earthly song was completed before yours. There will be no more minor chords of sorrow as we sing the joyous song our God prepared for us before time began. Sing, dance, rest and know that each note, whether long or short, is bringing you to the new song heard only when our earthly melody is silenced. Do not fear the final measure. It is only the beginning of a new song.

Alma Maish July 16, 2008

COME BE MY LIGHT

Every Sunday I visit the poor in Calcutta’ slums. I cannot help them, because I do not have anything, but I go to give them joy…O God how easily I make them happy! Give me strength to be always the light of their lives and so lead them to You—Mother Teresa of Calcutta (Advent meditations)

Mother Teresa was the light of the lives of the poor she encountered. In the book by the title, “Come Be My Light,” it was Christ Who uttered these words to her (page 98). We always think of Christ as the light of the world, but only through us can his radiance shine in the darkness of our world. Mother Teresa was a supreme example of how we can all bring this light to the world by being the light of Christ Himself.

She struggled through the dark night of the soul as St. John of the Cross describes it. Where was Christ? Why had he left her? After seeing and hearing him so many times, suddenly He was not there to guide her through the struggles she went through to be His light in the slums of India. How could she continue to radiate his love and compassion and mercy without Him at her side? How could she follow in His footsteps if He did not show her the way? What words could she utter without hearing His Holy Spirit, the One Who promised He would be with us always and speak for us, pray for us and groan with us?

It was faith and hope and love that held her together during the years when she felt so alone. Faith that even though she no longer saw or heard her Lord, He was walking with her through the wards of the destitute and diseased that she and her Missionaries of Charity cared for. She saw Him in their faces, heard His cry as they suffered, saw their joy as they beheld her face radiating the face of Christ.

The hope of seeing Jesus again, whether in visions or in the eternal light after this life, kept her going when she felt so alone and had so many battles to win for Him. How could she do it? She had been content as a Loreto nun. Why could she not serve him in that capacity? Because he wanted “Indian Nuns, Missionaries of Charity, who would be my fire of love amongst the poor…” (page 98). This was His command—to bring souls to Him. And only she could do this for Him. Jesus kept asking her, “Wilt thou refuse?” as He explained how much He wanted to be with the poor and how He could be with them only through her. “…obey cheerfully and promptly and without any questions…I shall never leave you—if you obey.” How could she refuse her Lord? He promised never to leave her if she obeyed, therefore she did the work He chose for her knowing Jesus never breaks a promise. Hope is essential in all we do, no matter how long it takes. “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1) She struggled for the rest of her life because of “things not seen” nor heard. But her faith without evidence kept her hope alive as she lived in the dark night of the soul.

Love is what Mother Teresa knew and gave to the poorest of the poor and the world, the love of Christ that filled her and spilled out on others. “…in your love for Me—they will see Me, know Me, want Me.” Christ told her not to fear—“it is I in you, with you, for you.” Again Christ asked if she would refuse Him. Her answer was her life given fully, totally in faith, hope and love.

Much has been made of her feelings of being without Christ. They have tried to convince the public that she was an atheist, that God does not exist. Nothing could be farther from the truth. She compared this lack of natural and supernatural support to “hell.” She remained faithful knowing “that the work is His…” (page 250). Her hope was alive as she gave her life to the poor, seeing in them the fire of His love as she served Him by lighting this fire. “Come Be My Light,” He asked, and she said, “Yes.” May we all be His light in a dark and lonely world.

12-04-07 Alma Maish

Did anyone see the report on Mother Teresa that aired near the end of The News Hour last night (Thursday, 4-Oct-07)? They talked about her feelings of God calling her into service and then leaving her alone.

Having seen and heard that, I feel compelled to share my thoughts with you and I wonder what you think.

You see, I think God, the best father there is, pays attention to His troubled children. Not that He doesn't think of those less troubled. But like a parent who tells one child "go do this" and they do it, and to a second child "go do that" and the second one struggles to do that, the parent gives attention to the one struggling. Even at the expense of the first feeling left out.

Remember, who, having lost one of 100 sheep would not leave the 99 to search for the lost one? And again, the parable of the prodigal son. In the latter case, the father appears to not focus on the "good" son, never throwing a party for him. Instead, he throws a party upon the return of the prodigal son. And what did the older brother say?

And so it would appear The Father was not focused on the "good" daughter, the good servant. But, yes, He was.

And so, I think, it was with Mother Teresa while she walked among us. A servant of God. Called to do a task. Wondering 'where are you Father?' but by faith, continueing the work she was called to do, while Our Father tended to others: seeking the lost, increasing our faith, working miracles so that we might see and believe.



Look ahead to Sundays readings.
http://www.usccb.org/nab/100707.shtml

Have you heard of John Dear?

Not John Deere the tractor people. John Dear the Jesuit Priest, Peace Activist, Organizer, Lecturer, Retreat leader, and author/editor of 20 books on peace and nonviolence.

It just so happens that he will be in Tucson Wednesday, September 26, 2007, 7:00 pm at St. Cyril Catholic Church (4725 E. Pima).

If you are not familiar with him, you can learn more at http://johndear.org/ Check out some of the articles he has written, there is some good stuff there.

Then come to St. Cyril church on the 26th and hear him in person.

SIGNS AND SYMBOLS

Growing Faith, our Tuesday morning class that uses the Catechism of the Catholic Church as a resource, was studying the liturgy and how important signs and symbols are because that is a way that God “speaks” to us. “Once these signs and symbols are used by us to express our faith, they are no longer common, but they become holy.”

A few days later, after preparing for Tuesday’s class, I attended Mass with a friend of mine at Saints Peter and Paul Church. As is my usual custom, I arrived early to pray and reflect and prepare myself for the celebration we would participate in. I looked around at the church and thought about our lesson regarding signs and symbols. I was surrounded by them! I had been at SSPP numerous times and always thought it was a beautiful church, but I had never really “seen” these signs and symbols the way I saw them that morning.

I scrutinized the huge crucifix behind the altar with its curtain backdrop and the surrounding gold décor. It was beautiful, impressive, and truly inspiring. I spent a few minutes gazing at it in wonder. The splendor almost took my breath away as I reflected on the Passion of our Lord.

My eyes turned to my left. On the wall next to the Sanctuary was a large imbedded sculpture of the Virgin Mary. “Mother Mary,” I whispered. Her humility, her love for the Baby Jesus in her arms came through so clearly. I had never truly “seen” this sculpture before. Chiseled in stone, her image and the image of our Lord were in a light cream color. Normally, a sculpture in one single color would not stand out against the backdrop of a wall of the same color, but in its simplicity, it brought out the love of Mary for us and for our Lord.

I looked on my right and there was St. Joseph with the tools of his trade. A carpenter, devoted to his tasks that supported his wife Mary, and her Son, Jesus. Acceptance, I thought. He accepted the dream sent to him, he accepted Mary as his wife, he accepted the Son that was hers and supported and loved them until he was no longer on earth. He loved. Love and acceptance. What a holy man he was!

Looking up I saw the sunlight streaming in through the stained glass windows in all its brilliance, illuminating the many colors outlining the Saints in our tradition. I was reminded that they were human, how they failed at times and sinned the way we do, but they loved the Lord in a much deeper way and were set apart by God the Father for their special role of being our models for a holy life. They prayed, they served, they adored the Trinity, and they truly loved their neighbors. Like our Lord, they lived with poverty, discrimination, humiliation and even death.

I could have spent more time contemplating and praying the Stations of the Cross but it was time for Mass to begin. I paid much closer attention to the signs and symbols presented through the robes of the priest, the Cross carried in and the Offertory gifts of bread and wine that were brought up. All ordinary things used to remind us of the extraordinary events occurring on the altar and in the church building. Like us, these ordinary things are consecrated and set apart through the Sacraments, which are also visible signs of God’s love for us. As ordinary human beings, we, too, are signs and symbols to others and they are signs and symbols to us. Let us be more aware of these ordinary, common things and know that God is with us in many ways. He lives among us and within us and we don’t have to look far to see Him in all things.

Alma Maish 8-28-07

CONTROL

Stephen ponders “control.” He asks “Why do people seek control so often?” and “When is one’s control according to His will?”

Good questions. People seek control of others and situations in order to control their own lives. There is an insecurity in them that doesn’t let them accept themselves or others as they are and allow those they seek to control to make their own decisions and live according to their needs.

Perhaps fear of not being able to manage their own lives is the root of trying to control others. History is a series of control—controlling populations, nations, and events. Every day we hear of someone trying to control another through abuse, gangs, lies, even murder. What does this person fear that makes him/her try to dominate others? It is the fear of insecurity that drives people to do what will keep them on top. Being the best, the greatest, the icon, the idol, the boss is most important to them. By controlling others they feel the security of insecurity.

Their insecurity stems from a lack of trust in God. If they trust in God, what will happen to them? The great unknown is frightening. They need to take a leap into faith, the darkness that does not reveal the future, and allow God to catch them and bring them to the light of love. Their insecurity makes them fear love because love can lead them to give up control. When you love someone, you are vulnerable and put yourself in the hands of the one you trust. When that someone does not fulfill your expectations you are afraid to trust and love again. Therefore, it is easier to control others than to let them control you through the pain you carry inside from failed relationships.

John Powell, S. J. in his book, “Seasons of the Heart” (page 190) writes: Security is such a deep need in us…What will happen to me if I let go? Will I have enough—enough time, enough money, enough provisions for old age, enough people to care for me, enough intelligence, enough health…? And so I hold on tightly to my security banisters. They make me feel safe but they keep me stationary. They are an obstacle to grace.

Grace. A gift from God. Grace is peace with the Father and oneself. Lacking the peace within that the Father gives causes us to live in constant turmoil. Either we control or are controlled. As Powell writes, “(the security banisters) keep me stationary.” I cannot move forward, I cannot change, I cannot be whole. To remain in control means I have to remain as I am today. There cannot be any growth, emotional or spiritual, that will help me look deeply within and transform my inner self so that God can work in me. Change comes only within me, not in others, because that is where our Lord is and waiting for me to make that choice. He wants me to be the person He created, the one he loves, the one He wants to spend eternity with.

Control. A word filled with pain for both the controller and the one controlled. Love. An action filled with grace that leads to trust. Let go of fear, let go of insecurity, let go of control and let God bring you peace and freedom within as you allow Him to love you. It is His love that will show you His will to live your life the way He has chosen for you and how you can allow others to do the same.

Alma Maish

This idea of control continues to be on my mind. I had read the speech Mother Teresa gave at the 1994 National Prayer breakfast some time ago and a portion of it came into my mind again as I contemplate control. So I’ll share that section with you now.

I had the most extraordinary experience of love of neighbor with a Hindu family. A gentleman came to our house and said: "Mother Teresa, there is a family who have not eaten for so long. Do something." So I took some rice and went there immediately. And I saw the children - their eyes shining with hunger. I don't know if you have ever seen hunger. But I have seen it very often. And the mother of the family took the rice I gave her and went out. When she came back, I asked her: "Where did you go? What did you do?" And she gave me a very simple answer: "They are hungry also." What struck me was that she knew - and who are they? A Muslim family - and she knew. I didn't bring any more rice that evening because I wanted them, Hindus and Muslims, to enjoy the joy of sharing. – Mother Teresa

What strikes me was how, by not bringing more rice, Mother Teresa doesn't mingle in controlling the joy of others sharing, that is, of another persons giving and another persons receiving.

control

what about control?

when is ones control according to His will? Is it ever? or is ones controlling behavior a sort of the anti-spirit? Think about it.

How often are you seeking control? How about, how often are you letting things take there natural course of action. It sounds a little scary, even unsensible to just let things go, like letting a twig float down stream. Just let go.

Or is compulsive behavior the name of the game?

When one says things need to be in order, in control, what is behind it? Who is the one control is wished for?

Why do people seek control so often?

Tell me. Why?

I wonder why.

I AM GIFT

They belonged to you, and you gave them to me… John 17:6

Have you ever thought of yourself as a gift from God the Father to Jesus His Son? The Creator has given us to Jesus so that we may believe in the love the Father has for His Son and the love they both have for us.

John 17 is known as “The Priestly Prayer” because John presents it as the prayer of Jesus before His arrest. Jesus prays for us, because we have been given to Him by God, His Father. How precious we are to our God! Knowing the love His Son has for us, He presents Him with the gift of the creatures He created!

A gift is given with no strings attached, a sign of a person’s love and esteem for the receiver. Gifts are treasured possessions, cherished as a reminder of the giver. When we receive a gift it is usually offered in pretty paper with perhaps a bow and a card included. We tear the paper off in anticipation of what is hidden. When Jesus received each one of us, we were wrapped in the grace of God, the most beautiful wrapping a gift could have. If we think of ourselves as a “gift” we should envision the beauty that enfolded us and realize how precious we were before we were presented to Jesus. Our beauty has been from the beginning and will last through all eternity.

The loveliness and value of the gift increased when Jesus accepted it from the Father. The Father’s grace enveloped each one and continues to enhance our beauty as Jesus holds us in his hands and heart. …everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them” (John 17:10). As gift, we glorify Jesus!

Do we believe these words of Jesus? Do we reveal and reflect the Son’s glory in our words and actions? In verse 22-23 Jesus goes on to say that I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one…so that the world may know that you sent me and that you loved them even as you loved me.

Reflect on this! We are glorified with Jesus! The Father loves us as much as He loves His Son! The love the Father has for us could not be kept to Himself, so He gave His beloved creatures to His Son. Now, just as Jesus and the Father are one, we are part of that oneness.

The gift has been received from and shared with the Giver. The Giver and the Receiver cherish each one of us because of their great love for each other. If we are one with them, we share in the Divine Love between the Father and the Son. We are gift, prayed for, protected, cherished, forgiven, never forgotten, glorified, and always one with the Father and the Son.

Alma Maish

LORD?

“Lord” is fading at some churches.” (Headline, Arizona Daily Star, April 22, 2007)

Perhaps some of you saw this article and agree or disagree with the churches cited that no longer use the word, “Lord,” because it is too “hierarchical,” “non inclusive,” or “patriarchal.” First Congregational United Church of Christ states they are “suspicious” of the word.

I don’t understand their “suspicion” since it is clearly used (according to the Dictionary of the Bible, John L. McKenzie, S.J.) as a Hebrew word (‘adôn) in the Old Testament meaning “an honorific title of a king, a god, or a husband,” and also “an owner of a slave, and especially as a polite form of address, or applied to any person of superior rank.” To be suspicious according to the dictionary is to: 3. b) tending habitually to suspect, esp. to suspect evil. If we look up the word, suspicion, it refers to the act or an instance of suspecting guilt, a wrong, harmfulness, etc. with little or no supporting evidence.

Since the Bible Dictionary describes the word in the Old Testament as above, I have no problem with the word, “Lord.” After all, we call God “King,” he is God, and his relationship with Israel was often described as intimate, like the marriage in Hosea where Israel was unfaithful and the “Lord” (God) referred to himself as “her husband.” In the New Testament we find “Lord” used frequently by Paul in his letters and, in the gospels, “Lord” is a post-resurrection term referring to the Risen Jesus.

Jesus describes himself as a bridegroom (Luke 5:35; Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19), and Paul echoes this in 2 Corinthians 11:2. The church is the bride in Revelation 19:7-9, 21:2, 22:17. If believers (the Church) are the “bride” does this mean we are all female? This thought is just as absurd as their reasons for not using the word, “Lord!”

In my personal opinion, I think the ones who object to the word, “Lord,” must be ego challenged if they can’t think of Jesus as Lord of their lives. He is God, describes himself as “husband,” we are his servants (slaves as Paul states), and he is a person of superior rank. He qualifies for that title and I do not feel diminished in the least when I refer to him this way.

I agree that God the Father and the Holy Spirit are not male or female. They are spirit and unseen but knowable because we carry their image within us, as Genesis 1:26, 27 tells us. Jesus definitely was male. Are these people so insecure in their own sexuality that they can’t see that the whole Bible is catholic, which means that it includes everyone, male and female? Catholic means “as a whole,” even universal, and God loves us all.

As for The Lord’s Prayer being renamed as “The Prayer of Our Creator,” the prayer was spoken by Jesus, so if they want to change “Lord” they should rename it “The Prayer of Jesus, the Son of God.”

I think what these people object to is the “patriarchy” or the hierarchy in the Church. They resent the male dominance of leadership. They forget that these “patriarchs” and “hierarchy” are servants of the people according to the example Jesus gave us in John 13:1-16. As Master, he was also Servant in his relationship to his disciples and states that a “slave” is not greater than his master. Since these churches already have women priests, they have no reason to complain about the hierarchy since they themselves are part of it.

I could go on with all the objections they have to the word, “Lord,” but for me, “Lord” encompasses all that the Trinity stands for: King, Creator, Father, Mother, Servant, Slave, Master, Teacher, Rabbi, and Bridegroom. Even these words are not enough to describe the faith and love I have for Yahweh God, Lord Sabaoth, Adonai; Jesus, Son of God, Second Person of the Trinity, Savior, Redeemer, Kyrios; Holy Spirit, Love, Counselor, Advocate, and Consoler.

We must never forget we are “the Temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19). If we are not our own, then we belong to God, the Lord and giver of life.

The Dictionary of the Bible sums it up this way: “Therefore he is to be universally confessed as Lord.” And, the Presbyterian pastor, Mark Roessler, stated in the article, “If we continue to water down and make ourselves politically correct, there won’t be anything left. God is the king of the universe. We are to bow before him. He is king, savior, Lord and master…God is the great patriarch of heaven and Earth.”

AMEN!

Alma Maish

MASTER AND SERVANT

Enter into the mystery of being master and servant. Look at your neighbors and pick up the towel. With authority grounded in humility, kneel before them and wash off the dirt of daily living. If you are the neighbor in need of washing, lay aside your pride and, like Peter, accept the service of the one kneeling before you. Then go, and do likewise. Be blessed as you wash the feet of others and reveal the face of the Master through the towel in your hands.

Alma L. Maish—Excerpt from “Master and Servant,” published in Living Prayer Magazine and People’s Companion to the Breviary Volume I.

MY GOD, MY GOD…

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Matthew’s Gospel (27:46) records the most sorrowful words Jesus spoke during his life on earth. To read them is heartbreaking. Did he really feel abandoned and forgotten by his Father?

When we first read these words, we are shaken to the core. If the Father could abandon Jesus, his only beloved Son, in his final moments, then we, too, might be forgotten in our last moments on earth. Jesus was innocent, we are not. Therefore, it would seem just that the Father would leave us in our sins and let us die without any comfort or hope of eternal life.

If we say that God is love and He will never forget us, then how could He possibly leave us in our sins, wondering if we will have eternal life with Him and Jesus? We probably will not suffer a horrible death like Jesus did, but we all have to face death sometime in the future. Where is our hope if Jesus felt abandoned on the cross?

If we realize that Jesus was reciting Psalm 22 when he uttered these words of sorrow, we know that our hope lies in him. Jesus was praying to his Father! The first twenty-two verses describe the Messiah’s suffering at the hands of those depicted like wild animals tormenting him. Considering that this Psalm was written centuries before Jesus was on the cross, the description of the Messiah’s ordeal is chilling. How could the Psalmist have composed this Psalm without knowing Jesus and what he would suffer?

The animals in the Psalm are ferocious, eager to surround and bring down the Messiah. Reading these verses carefully, we see the Passion event the Gospels describe. If the Psalm stopped at verse 22, indeed this prayer would be one of someone helpless and alone.

However, note the change in verse 23 from a description of pain and suffering to one of reliance on the Lord. The Messiah “will proclaim” the name of the Lord and “praise” him. The following verses state “he has not spurned…did not turn his face away…he heard him.” Here is the hope Jesus had when he uttered his famous words of sorrow! His Father is not far away but very near. His Father hears his “cry.”

Like Jesus, we go through times when we feel very much alone. We wonder if we can get through the difficulties that come into our lives. We pray and our words are only sounds breathed into thin air. Where is my Lord? Why doesn’t he help me? Perhaps we should look again at Psalm 22:23—I will proclaim your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you…

We are to proclaim and praise our God. Even in the midst of events thought too great to bear, we are to tell others about God’s great love for us and praise Him as our hope. He hears our cry and will answer our prayer in the way that is best for each one of us. Don’t give in to despair. Pray the way our Savior prayed on the cross and rely on the goodness and love of God the Father.

Alma Maish

COMMENT RECEIVED ON “LISTEN”:

I agree with you 100 %; Although, for me, It is easy to say, and so hard to do.

Listening to God, requires total silence; it requires being able to stop the mind and focus your attention in listening. One issue that happens to me, is being afraid of not being able to listen to God, so the first reaction is to activate your mind and assume that He already did talk to me. So the question is how do you know what to listen for?

MY RESPONSE:

Listening does require total silence in prayer but that is not the only time we can listen to God’s Word. We listen to God and our Lord in others, in every day events, when we worship, as we admire creation, deal with difficulties, read Scripture and other spiritual readings—the list is endless. We are always listening!

If we are listening, does this mean that we hear the message God is sending us? We hear many things during the day—traffic noises, TV, radio, stereos, IPODS, people talking—but are we listening to these noises and paying attention to them? Probably not. They are background noises that are there and we hear them but we don’t take them in.

Listening to God is different. It is the amount of attention we pay to what we hear and take in that makes a difference. If a relative or friend or stranger comes up to us and asks for our time in order to talk to us about a concern, do we stop what we are doing to listen to them? Perhaps if we thought it was God speaking to us, we would!

When we read Scripture and a verse catches our attention and we need to think about it, do we realize this is God speaking to us?

At Mass, when we give the sign of peace to those around us, do we smile automatically as we shake their hand or do we look them in the eyes and inwardly bless them? Have we heard God deep within asking us to be sincere in our handshake and truly bless others?

Take a walk outside. Look at the mountains. Breathe in the dry desert air. Admire the blooms on plants. Take pleasure in the birds, butterflies, and insects flying around in the early morning air. Fill your eyes with the beauty of the blue sky and floating clouds and the night sky with its shining stars and glowing moon. God speaks in these ways, too.

Hug your wife and children. Tell your parents you love them. Say a kind word today to those you work with. Compliment someone who needs to be uplifted. Be patient with those who annoy you. God is asking for your attention. Yes! He is speaking to you to be God’s Word to others!

Pray and listen, we are told. We can pray wherever we are at any time of the day. Therefore, we can listen to God speak wherever we are at any time of the day. Awareness of the present moment is how we listen to God. He is here, now and always. Open the ears of your heart and listen to the Lord Who abides deep within.

Alma Maish

LISTEN

In the beginning…God said…

Genesis is the first book of the Bible and makes it clear that God speaks to us as He begins the litany of His Word and creates the universe. The Scriptures continue with other references to the Word of God coming to us at different times in history. “God said…” the prophets warned the people when they had strayed from God. They refused to listen and suffered the consequences of indifference to their One True God.

What are we to do with God’s Word? We are to listen! In the Hebrew, to listen means to hear and obey. When you hear the Word of God and listen and obey, you will follow the path God has set before you. Your faith will be strong, your love shall be great, your thoughts pure, your words kind. Compassion will fill your heart. The beauty of God’s universe will overwhelm you. His unconditional love will humble you.

The Psalms also ask us to listen. Psalm 46:11 commands that we “Be still and know that I am God.” If we are “still” we are listening. If we are listening, wisdom comes to us (Psalm 49:4) and we know that God is our Father-Creator, the one who fights for us, our protector, the one who saves us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

King Solomon did not ask for riches when the Lord God appeared to him in a dream and informed him he could ask for something from God and it would be his (1 Kings 3:5). He asked for a “listening (understanding) heart” so that he could rule wisely. He chose to listen to God and was granted wisdom and built a beautiful temple to honor the Lord and where the Lord would dwell among His people.

We might not have a dream or vision in which God speaks to us directly, but as we pray we can ask for a listening heart. By listening in prayer we will know God in the Biblical sense, since intimacy with God means that He is within us. “Abide” is a word that John uses frequently in his Gospel to illustrate how the Father is always with us. Abide has a beautiful connotation of resting and remaining within a dwelling. Just as the Tabernacle Tent in the Exodus desert was a sanctuary where Yahweh God would “dwell in their midst,” in the very heart of their community, the dwelling became a sign of God’s love and protection as the Israelites trudged through the desert (Exodus 25:8).

When we pray, we are inviting our Lord to “abide” in us. He is literally setting up a “tent” or “tabernacle” in our heart where He remains with us always. Christ abides in the depths of our soul where He speaks to us and this is where we go in prayer to abide and listen to Him.

We can speak to God at different times, in different places and in many ways. After formal prayer or spontaneous requests, we should make time to listen to Him as well. “Be still,” the Psalmist asks of us. When we are still the silence can envelop us and surround us with the peace and quiet and calm we need to endure our every day experiences. Joy is in the silence of prayer as we abide in the presence of God.

It is fitting that after we listen, we conclude our quiet prayer time with a proclamation of gratitude and praise. We are to thank God for all His blessings, mercy and love. We are to praise him with all the love in our hearts.

Pray, listen, obey, and give thanks and praise. Enter the silence of prayer and rejoice in the Lord!

Alma Maish

DEMAND FOR A SIGN

LUKE 11:29-32

"This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah." Some take this to mean the three days and three nights that Jonah was inside the belly of the large fish, comparing it to the three days Jesus was in the darkness of the tomb after his crucifixion and death. But Jesus is not referring to his three days in the tomb, he is referring to the sign of the Ninevite's repentance after Jonah preached to them and they turned to the Lord God.

Jonah resented the Lord's love for the Ninevites because they were different, they were not the Chosen People, and did not deserve the Lord's attention. Only Jews deserved that honor and Jonah, as a Jew, was reluctant to preach to them. However, it took only a day of his preaching to make the Ninevites realize how far they were from the Lord and repented. Instead of celebrating his overnight success, Jonah was angry. He did not realize he was a sign of God's mercy and love.

Like the Jews in Luke's Gospel, we demand signs, too, so the Church has given them to us with different liturgical seasons. Lent is a sign that it is time for change, a time for repentance, a time to think about returning to the Lord with our whole heart. The first sign of Lent is putting ashes on our foreheads as a symbol of repentance and mourning. The Ninevites did something similar--they proclaimed a fast and wore sackcloth to show outwardly their repentance and mourning. Are we so different from the Ninevites? Obviously not, if we need the season of Lent to make us think about changing our daily lives.

Some take the putting on of ashes seriously and others think of it as only a symbol of something done for one day--Ash Wednesday. Our smudged foreheads show the world we are faithful Catholics. However, there are those who only come to church on Ash Wednesday, Easter and Christmas. They don't feel the need to repent, therefore, nothing changes in their lives. They wash their faces and continue the rest of the year as they were before Ash Wednesday.

Ashes should be the outward sign that we repent and look toward a new life with our Risen Lord. As we darken our foreheads, we should pray that we can overcome the darkness of sin in our everyday lives. Forty days is not enough time to accomplish this, so we should strive to change at least one thing about ourselves during Lent. Once the 40 days of Lent are over, will we forget the sign of ashes as a sign of a path to new life? Like those "faithful" Ash Wednesday Catholics, will we continue as though ashes are only an external symbol instead of a sign for inner change?

At Baptism, we were anointed on the forehead with oil after being plunged into the holy water as the sign of entering into the tomb with Christ and rising with him into a new life. On Ash Wednesday we acknowledge that we have not been true to our baptismal promises. There is no water, no entering of the tomb, no rising until Easter. There are only the dark ashes to remind us that we need to re-commit ourselves to follow Christ fully. May this Lent be a sign to you that you can overcome the darkness of sin and rise with Christ into a new life with Him.

Alma Maish