Is it enough to listen to God? Emmanuel Arenas, SJ, reminds us that after we carefully listen to the word of God, we must put those words into action. Based on the readings for Sunday, October 9, 2022.
Why is listening not enough?
I’m Emmanuel Arenas and this is my one-minute reflection.
Discernment is a response to Christ. When we begin the process of discernment, we should first begin with the right disposition. We allow ourselves to be open to the will of God, trusting in God’s love and care for us. As we persevere in prayer and reflect on different spiritual movements, God’s will becomes more clear. What then are we to do with this clarity of God’s will?
In today’s Gospel, there is a leper that cries our to Jesus saying, “Master! Have pity on us!” This leper then listens carefully to the words of Jesus and acts on them. The leper is not immediately healed, but rather, is healed once he begins to act on the words of Jesus. Therefore, we too must act when the will of God is made known to us, for the words of Jesus, when tied to action, are meant to heal, transform, and console us.
