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?
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.
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.
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."
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
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.