Listen to God (Psalm 81) by Diane Overmann

14 Feb Listen to God (Psalm 81) by Diane Overmann

“I am the Lord, Your God: hear my voice.” ~ Psalm 81 (full readings)

Diane’s Reflections:  Today’s Gospel and Responsorial Psalm call attention to hearing.  However, in my noise polluted environment, which includes so many things that beep at me from my car to my computer, I think God is talking more about listening.  I sense that more and more people hunger for someone to listen to them.  Our God hungers also for us to listen.  The first step is to stop talking.  God asks me to be quiet to hear God whispering into my ear.  God does not tell me secrets just for me, but wants to show the gentle caring and affection brought by personal communication.  In one of these moments, God placed on my heart an invitation.  Since there is no time in God as eternal, even before the beginning of creation God knew me and when I would begin my life in my mother’s womb.  Wow…I can’t even think in terms of the trillions of years as the galaxies were formed.  God whispered that I was that important to the divine will and to the divine love.  I have responded sometimes to that tenderness of God and have shown the light to others by choice.   Then I think of all the aborted children.  God knows these also.  Yet, they were denied the right to choose to respond to God and shine the light.  Yes, I know they are eternally with our loving God, but they didn’t get the chance to make a choice.  They didn’t get to mess up and find the embrace of forgiveness.  They didn’t get to choose to run to the comfort of God.  Who has the right to choose to deny another of the right to choose?  I hope that God whispers the answer to that question in many ears and that many listen.
* Diane Overman is the Faith Formation Director at St. Clare Catholic School in O’Fallon, IL. She also presents catechist classes for the Diocese of Belleville, IL.

Faith Challenge:  Try to spend at least a few minutes once a week in silence inviting God to gently with awesome love whisper into your ear.  Listen and choose to respond.

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel..
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Our Prayers: Pray LIFE Runners Creed to End Abortion.  Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, unceasingly. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day:  Saint Valentine

Faith Quote:  “Prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you listen to God.”  ~ Diana Robinson

Through Christ our Lord,
Diane Overmann
Jer 1:5