The Line is Busy!

Today the Gospel at Mass is taken from Matthew 13:36-43. As I was praying with the passage there was one phrase that jumped out at me: “Jesus dismissed the crowds… “The reason Jesus sent the crowds away was because He wanted to have some quiet time with his disciples in order to teach them and to answer their questions about a parable - the one Jesus had just shared about the weeds that were sown in the field.I stopped on that passage: “Jesus dismissed the crowds…” I put my missal down and prayed. “Lord, there are often crowds in my head – noisy thoughts about all that is happening in my life that are making it very difficult, if not impossible, for me to hear you! Jesus, I long to hear you. Help! Please dismiss this rowdy mob of distractions so that I can hear all that you want to say to me, especially that you love me!”

Recently my sister was at Mass and the priest was focusing in his homily on the need we all have today for silence. We live in a world that is going spiritually deaf from all the noise that bombards us day in and day out. As he was concluding his homily he paused and there was a moment of silence - until it was interrupted by the ringing of someone’s cell phone! Father ended his homily by saying: “What more can I say!”

Silence is the language of God. If we want to hear Him – and we need to hear Him – somehow we must have the courage to turn off our ipods and cell phones, the television and radio, the internet and learn how to be quiet, not only outside but inside, in our thoughts. He loves us so much but He is hard pressed to tell us because he can’t get through. The line is busy!

Peace is God's gift to us. I ended my prayer by asking the Holy Spirit for the gift of interior peace and the grace to quiet my active mind so that I can hear the Voice of the One who loves me unconditionally.