PRAYER:

VOICE RECOGNIZING VOICE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4th Monday after Easter is, “Prayer: Voice Recognizing Voice.”

Various surveys indicate that people want to hear more on prayer from the pulpit.  And if there is one topic that people buy spiritual books on, it’s prayer.  

What’s your take on prayer?  Do you need to hear more?  Do you have questions about prayer?  What’s the best lesson you have heard about praying?

So when I read today’s readings - including the Psalm - I heard, “Say something on prayer as voice recognition."

So the title of my homily is: “Prayer: Voice Recognizing Voice.”

RECOGNIZING VOICES

Here in today’s gospel - John 10: 1-10 -  Jesus says that sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd.  When the shepherd calls - his sheep recognize his voice. They don’t recognize the voice of a thief.  

Yesterday’s gospel had the hired hand as the alternative to the good shepherd. I guess if the hired hand is a steady sheep sitter as in baby sitter - they might recognize his voice.  The thief?  No.

At what age - at what month -  does a baby recognize the voice of her or his parents and family members. How about hearing voices while in the womb?

This morning I heard on the radio on the way up to the hospital - a story of a little girl who was lost in the outback in Australia - and it was a 17 year old dog who saved the little girl or located the lost girl - and the dog was blind and half deaf - something like that.

We pick up the phone - don’t know the number - and the other side doesn’t give a name and our mind is trying to figure out: “Who’s this?”  And sometimes we say, “I recognize your voice. It’s familiar. But who is this?”

I had a wedding a few years back - and a funny thing happened. The bridegroom’s last name began with W and when he became a local weather man on the radio, he changed his last name to A - as his radio persona. I didn’t know this  till later - when he told me that since he was always called on last in school - because his name began with W - he chose a last name that began with A.  

In the meanwhile I was confused at the wedding rehearsal dinner when his best man, serving as MC,  was calling him by his A last name. 

So later on that's why I asked him about his name. “What’s going on? Why is your best man,  Marty something, [whom I have since seen on TV from Baltimore], is calling you by the wrong name?" It was then that I got the explanation.

For some reason after the wedding - which Ceil Ambrosetti sang at - I told her about the W and A last names.  This was by total chance. She says, “That explains it all.  When I was talking to him on the phone about the music for the wedding, I was saying to myself, 'I know this voice.' But the W last name was not familiar."

She then said, “Oh okay, I listen to him give the weather on the radio every morning on the way into work. Now I know."

I guess musicians have a good ear.

PRAYER

I guess too - if we pray - we gradually get to know the voice of God - the voice of Jesus - better and better.

Beginner’s prayer can be all talk, talk, talk, saying prayers, prayers, prayers.

Long time people who pray learn to listen, to be quiet, and just be with the Lord - as in conversations with the close people in one's life.

I'm sure you heard the story about the old man, who told someone how he prays. "I just sit there. God just sits there. Sometimes we talk and sometimes we listen. Most of the time we just be with each other in the quiet."

I would hope lovers say to each other: “Shut up. Let’s just be in the quiet with each other."

So too God and me. So too  me and God.

I don’t know about you, I go crazy with that “Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, and on and on and on and on prayer.” It’s a nice prayer for mercy - but I wonder if God ever says, “Enough already, I hear you.”

That’s my voice saying that. Your voice might say different. That might be the way you and God do prayer. I don’t.

Hey we repeat the psalm response a bunch of times - like today’s psalm response, “Athirst is my soul for the living God.”  Why not say that on the rosary beads as an alternative? Or cut it down to just one word. Say to God, “Thirsty… thirsty…. thirsty.” Would God love that one word prayer and laugh at us. I like the TV ad when the dog goes, “Bacon, bacon, bacon.”  So say to God, "Thirsty, thirsty, thirsty"  a few times - and then let God be the living cool water for you. Sip and be satisfied.

I’ve studied a bit about Theravada Buddhism. Sometimes a person just sits there in the quiet for hours and hours straight - breathing in, breathing out, without saying a word.

I know a bit about Quaker Services. One of the rules is to be quiet and not say anything till the Spirit of God of God pushes someone to say something. I’ve been to Quaker Sunday services in which nothing is said in the hour of prayer - and it’s an hour of quiet.  That’s got to drive people who do yakety yak prayers crazy.

And in the quiet, I’d assume that voices recognize voices in the silent music of prayer.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Prayer: Voice Recognizing Voice.”

People who are beginners in prayer - sometimes say a lot of words - and they might not be listening to themselves or to God. 

But in time, hopefully listening takes over - quiet takes over - and sometimes we hear God call us by name - or by the name he has for us - and we begin to understand God - and we know his voice - and God knows ours.

If you ever get a chance to be near a field of sheep going "baa, baa, baa" watch and listen - and maybe you'll spot a solo sheep in a shepherd's arms - maybe even a sheep that was hurt - or a sheep that was lost - and study that sheep's face - and maybe see a smile and look of contentment - and maybe see a look of envy in the baaing sheep - all around the pen.