Apr. 23 - Who truly "Listens"?

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today, the Church gives us three sets of Mass readings! God “pours out His Heart” yet, I wonder who among us truly “Listens”. Many may read and some may hear something but who truly listens in order to know God and to grow in knowing – thus to love and to serve Him?

I read all three options, and tried to listen but truly to listen takes more time than it takes to write a post on CAF! God’s Word is precious and deserves all the time we can give, and all the attention and devotion we can give to praying over what we hear – if we seriously desire to live the Truth.

Before posting the option I chose from the 3 sets of Mass Readings, I want to post these Scripture passages to encourage all of us in striving toward the holiness to which we are called:

Take care, brothers, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God. Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today,” so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin. We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end, for it is said: “Oh, that today you would hear his voice: ‘Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion. Who were those who rebelled when they heard? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt under Moses? With whom was He “provoked for forty years”? Was it not those who had sinned, whose corpses fell in the desert? And to whom did he “swear that they should not enter into his rest,” if not to those who were disobedient? And we see that they could not enter for lack of faith. (Hebrews 3: 12 - 19)

… faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. (Rom 10:17)

Let us then, by God’s grace, take time to Listen as Mary listened to all Jesus said and did and ponderered all in her heart. Let us pray to our Mother to share with us her heart, today! The three options for Mass Readings today can be found HERE. I’m spending more time today on the First Reading and Gospel for the Memorial of St. Adalbert. I hope at least some priests and especially Bishops will choose that option too! Perhaps some of us will have time to ponder all three sets of Readings but remember it is not “how much” but “how well” we pray. At the end it is a matter of Love for God alone, and love for others because of Him – as Mary’s Heart was Totally His and she shares His Love with us!!

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Stoplooklisten, QuietTrad, Cath, and Stephie

Thank you all for your “hearts” which let me you know you read and hopefully listened with Mary to at least one of the Mass Readings for today. I was most inclined toward the option for the Memorial Mass in honor of St. Adalbert. Both the First Reading and the Gospel touched me in special ways:

In 2 Cor 6: 4-10 St Paul described himself and his fellow Christians. The last line especially “rang” so truly – like music to the ears of my heart!

…as unrecognized and yet acknowledged;
as dying and behold we live;
as chastised and yet not put to death;
as sorrowful yet always rejoicing;
as poor yet enriching many;
as having nothing and yet possessing all things.

A lifetime can be spent listening to this Gospel passage from Jn 10:

Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

Thank you Lord for being our Good Shepherd, Totus tuus!