“Shma Israel, Adonai elo – hey – nu, Adonai e – chad” This is part of the Shema prayer that we hear in the Gospel today – “Hear O Israel – the Lord our God is Lord alone.” This is what Jesus cites as the first of all the Lord’s commandments. The Shema is a prayer that Jesus would have prayed on a daily basis as a practicing Jew in ancient Israel. We can know that God is our Lord and master, but how does that affect our lives? That is a good question. We can say that the Lord is our God, but how does that affect our words and our actions?
Through the psalmist, the Lord tells us: “I am the Lord your God – Hear my voice.” This might sound easy in theory, but in practice, it is not easy at all. To know when the voice of God is calling out to us can be a tricky thing indeed. When I was in seminary to study to be a priest, my classmates and I would struggle with God’s will for us as it pertained to our vocations. We needed our fellow classmates, our spiritual directors, and our seminary professors to help us discern God’s will for us. I bet all of us would like to be able to hear God’s voice speak to us loudly and clearly, but it doesn't always work that way.
Our Lenten disciplines are supposed to help us on our journey, they are supposed to help us distinguish God’s voice in the midst of so many other voices. Through fasting, almsgiving, and praying, we are to open our hearts to God, to hear his voice, to recognize his authority in our lives. As I said – easier said than done. But we cannot give up.
No comments:
Post a Comment