The Voice of God

Following Christ means in a special way being attentive to his voice. The gospels make this “listening” to the voice of God very concrete. Indeed one of the fundamental messages of the Bible is that those who are called – hear that call. From the beginning, human beings were made in the image and likeness of God. They were made to live in the presence of God and to have a relationship with him.

The great figures in Israel’s history, whether kings or prophets, holy men and women, judges, priests, are all portrayed as hearing God’s voice and responding to it. We hear in our first reading the story of young Samuel, who for the first time experiences the call of God. With the help of the priest Eli, he learns to discern God’s voice. His attitude then becomes a model of all authentic faith: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” Jesus in his own life models what this means. He was totally open and receptive to God’s call. His major concern was: “To do the will of Him who sent me.” (John 6:37)

May we, who as members of Christ’s Body, and who have received the gift of His Holy Spirit, hear and follow the voice of God as it arises out of the challenges and responsibilities of our everyday life. May we hear the voice of God echoed in our consciences.

Conversion of Saint Paul

On this day – the 25^th of January, we celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul. The church concludes the Novena and Prayer to Saint Paul for Christian Unity. St. Paul is truly the Apostle of Christian Unity. He preached to and brought together Romans, Greeks, Jews and Christians. In the prayer of the Mass for the Conversion of Saint Paul, we say: “God our Father, you taught the Gospel to all the world through the preaching of the Apostle Paul.”

Paul was a tireless Apostle, both in his work as a preacher and in his personal living-out of the gospel he preached. His conversion is one of the most dramatic moments in religious history. It was so sudden, so intense, so mysterious and so fruitful for the Church. Saint John Chrysostom praised Saint Paul in these words: “Paul, more than anyone else, has shown us what man really is, and in what our mobility consists. Each day, he aimed ever higher; each day he rose up with greater ardor and faced with new eagerness the dangers which threatened him.” He summed up his attitude in the words: “I forget what is behind me and push on to what lies ahead”… The one thing he feared, indeed dreaded, was to offend God; nothing else could sway him.

As we honor the Apostle of the Nations, and celebrate his conversion, we ask that the “Spirit who helped Paul to spread the power and glory of God, fill us with the light of faith, so that we may follow him in bearing witness to the faith.” We have inherited a rich tradition of faith which goes back to Paul and the Apostles. This faith is tested by twenty centuries of experience, clarified by conflict, purified by reforms, but at the end always faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. This faith is now ours to believe, live and express in our liturgical rituals. The Apostolic Faith – the faith of Paul and the Apostles, is not a museum piece, but a living reality that shapes lives, brings healing and comfort to human hearts, leads people to God, and saves souls.

It will be our greatest gift to the next generation!

Prayer for Christian Unity

Gracious Father, we pray to you for our holy, Catholic Church. Fill it with your truth. Keep it in your peace. Where it is corrupt, reform it. Where it is in error, correct it. Where it is right, defend it. Where it is in want, provide for it. Where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of your Son, Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.