SUNDAY GOSPEL LECTIO DIVINA

When we listen closer to God’s word, we find deeper meaning. There are layers to Scripture: namely, there’s the literal, historical, allegorical, and anagogical sense. It’s easy to get caught up in just one or two and just ignore the others. When we listen closely though, which lectio divina is designed to help us do, we take the time to discover each layer. Sometimes God is also speaking directly to us in a way not even denoted in any of the established senses of Scripture. This is yet another way to prove that God is not only real, but living and breathing among us still so we also can be eyewitnesses of his glory.

Sometimes listening to God requires great silence so we hear what God is saying through all the din of life. Other times we do hear what God is saying, and the difficulty in listening lies in the struggle to execute what he is saying. While filling jars with water may not have been too physically difficult, I wonder what the servers were thinking. They were probably thinking that the order was quite counterintuitive, since they needed to get more wine but were being told to fill the jars with water. So the difficulty in listening to Jesus, for them, was in believing that whatever he tells them to do is going to produce more wine.

Oftentimes, the hardest part in listening to God is the faith part, having faith that what he tells us to do will actually help us achieve what we seek to achieve. Faith produces obedience. If we do not have faith in someone or something, we will find it hard to obey them. With faith in Christ comes great strength, because in being obedient to him his power works through us. When the time comes, will we have the strength of obedience to listen and do whatever Jesus tells us?

You may not have the sky open up and a dove descend upon you to validate that you are doing God’s will. But if you are paying close enough attention, you will notice that God does send little signs when he is pleased with your choices. It may come in the form of a genuine smile from a priest you respect, or an unsolicited “I love you” from your child. Moments like this come when we are obedient and simply do whatever Jesus tells us to do: keep God’s commandments, pray, and listen. Never stop listening for God’s voice in your life. A believer can easily become weary if he thinks God is not pleased with all his acts of faith. But if we are listening closely enough, we will notice the smiles and nods God sends our way. And his approval is the only approval we should seek.

The presence of God sustains us when our senses fail us. His presence on earth was sensed by John even when no one else could see him in Mary’s womb. Jesus is often present to us in similar ways, even when we cannot sense him. God has placed a desire for him deep in our hearts, and he desires to be with us. Be silent now and get in touch with that inner longing. In doing so, you will meet the same God that John experienced while in Elizabeth’s womb, and receive the same joy he had.