19th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

The Lord was not present in the heavy wind, the earthquake, nor the fire. Instead God came to Elijah in the form of a tiny whispering sound.

So often we desire for the voice of God to come easily without having to do any work in order for us to listen. There are many voices which constantly compete for our attention and these voices cause us to lose sight of God and His voice. Our culture is built up around a desire for an increase of pleasure, wealth, and power. These pursuits cause us to loose sight of God and make it difficult to listen to that tiny whispering sound.

Each of have been called by God to pursue holiness in our everyday life. To embrace one’s God given vocation is a way in which we come to pursue this reality. If one is to respond to God’s call to be a priest, enter religious life, or enter into holy matrimony they must discern God’s call. We can only discern God’s call if we are willing to slow down and enter into prayer. We must desire to enter into relation with Him in order that we may hear that tiny whispering sound that comes to us in little ways.

Life would be so much easier if God were simply to come and smack us across the face to tell us what we are to do, but it doesn’t work that way. If that is what we are waiting for to move forward in the spiritual life we will be waiting for ever. We will desire to hear God in all the big ways such as wind, earthquake, or fire and fail to listen to that voice which simply comes in a tiny whispering sound.

Just like our Gospel the storms of this life will give rise and beat us about. In the midst of these storms it can be hard to hear that tiny whispering sound that is voice of God, but we must remember that this voice is always present. The Lord reminds His disciples of this when He comes walking on the water and calls out to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

We must desire to hear this voice that continues to come to us if we are to remain attentive and have faith. Through faith we cry out, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” This is a profession of faith which serves as a reminder that Christ remains present in our midst to this day and we must continue to open up our heart in order to hear His voice amidst the many noises and distractions of this life.

Let us continue to find our peace and joy in God. Let us make our homes places of prayer where we make entering into relationship with God a priority that cannot be sacrificed. There will continue to be a lot the goes on in the world around us and in our own life, but we still need to listen, to be present, and to be held in relation with Christ. Let our life be refuge of prayer that remains open to hearing that tiny whispering sound that is God’s voice.