Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

A Pharisee invited him to dine. 

One day a mother of two was preparing chicken for dinner. As she trimmed the fat from the meat, a thought passed through her mind. She felt as if the Lord was telling her, “Sandra, this is what I am doing in your life—trimming away the things that distract you from me.” It seemed a little silly, but the message stayed with her. Years later, when she shared the story with a group of parishioners, people could tell that the message still moved her deeply.

Sandra wasn’t doing anything extraordinary when she sensed the Lord speaking to her. She was just going about her daily routine. She wasn’t even praying. Similarly, in today’s Gospel, the Pharisee in question wasn’t at the Temple or immersed in prayer. He had simply invited Jesus over for dinner. It may not have been a religious setting, but that didn’t keep Jesus from talking to him about the state of his heart.

God doesn’t need us to be doing anything special for him to speak to us. Of course, regular prayer and Scripture reading can help us become more attuned to his voice, but God isn’t limited to those times. We might hear him while we are washing the dishes or driving to work. He might catch our attention through a friend’s words or a newspaper article. Maybe a new thought pops into our mind, seemingly out of nowhere, and gives us a fresh perspective or brings a sense of peace we didn’t have before. Or we have a disagreement with someone close to us, and we sense the Spirit helping us to stay peaceful. No matter how he chooses to speak to us, we can be sure that it is God when we feel drawn to love him and each other more fully.

So keep your heart and mind open today. Don’t doubt God’s involvement in your life. There is so much he wants to say. There is so much more love he wants to share. He is not a distant God. He is your Father, and he loves speaking with you.

“Lord, come speak to me at any time of the day. Help me to recognize your voice.”

Galatians 5:1-6
Psalm 119:41, 43-45, 47-48
Luke 11:37-41