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Is God calling me? Am I listening?
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January 15, 2021I believe that God never stops calling us. He knows each of us by name. He knows everything going on in our lives. He knows all our thoughts and desires. He has created us in His own image. He loves each of us personally. Since our Baptism, we are all called God's children. He has a plan for each of us, a beautiful plan because He loves us and He wants each of us to be close to Him. He sends His only Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, to reveal Himself to each of us, to redeem us from our sins, to guide all our steps on our pilgrimage on earth so that we can return to Him and be with Him now and forever. The question we are all struggling with is: "What does God want me to do?" Every day is a new day, a new beginning. Every day, we can ask God, "What do you want me to do today?"
As we have completed our wonderful journey of Advent and Christmas, it is a good time to reflect on God's plan. It is a good time to pray in silence and LISTEN to God. It is a good time to meditate on Scriptures. It is a good time to reflect on the power of LECTIO DIVINA (meaning Divine reading in Latin), the power of meditating on the Word of God. I will never forget the first time a monk introduced me to this ancient tradition of Lectio Divina. This was part of my first retreat when discerning the call to the permanent diaconate (20 years ago...). The monk talked about the power of "chewing the Word of God.” He used the beginning of John's Gospel. Three times, he read to us slowly the first encounter of John the Baptist and Jesus after Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River. John was standing with two of his own disciples when he watched Jesus walk by and said, “BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD" (John 1:35). These five words changed the life of two disciples of John. This was God, through John the Baptist, CALLING THEM TO A NEW LIFE. When was last time you felt that GOD WAS CALLING YOU?
God can speak to us directly through our hearing His Word and "chewing it", meditating it slowly. God can also speak to us through His own "messengers", people around us. In John's Gospel, Jesus' first disciples responded to God's call through the words of John the Baptist. He had pointed out to them the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Hearing those words, they followed Jesus and their lives were totally changed. They stayed with Jesus that day. One of them that had heard the words of John the Baptist was Andrew. After his first encounter with Jesus, he found his brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah, Christ.” Then he brought his brother Simon to Jesus, who gave him a new name, Cephas, which is translated Peter. What is amazing is the immediate action of Andrew and Jesus. It is the same for us. Our lives can be changed, transformed very quickly when we recognize God's voice, listen and act upon God's word.
I have felt God calling me several times in my life. As a 12-year old, through the words of a priest at a short retreat of classmates (my Catholic school) "Your mother Mary will always protect you", I heard in my heart that with Mary's support, I could do anything ...and then I thought that God wanted me to be a priest...When I was 20, my first trip to Africa (as a student in training in Cameroon), I discovered a new continent, a new culture and a to desire to change my life. I may not have seen this as a call from God. But with hindsight, I now believe that God was calling me to assist the "poor" in the poorest countries of the world, which I did while spending 35 years as an economist and then a project manager at the World Bank, including multiple trips to countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and also living 3 full years in Bangladesh (one of the poorest countries of the world). This led me to a personal encounter with Mother Teresa in Calcutta (one hour flight from Bangladesh), which changed my spiritual life, and eventually led me hear the call to becoming a permanent deacon...and then a priest. This face to face encounter with Mother Teresa took place 40 years ago! More recently, after receiving the Eucharist, I heard Mother Teresa tell me clearly, "GO TO THE POOR!"
I have been meditating on these four words: GO TO THE POOR! I have prayed over this message, "God, what do you want me to do? Go to serve the poor in Calcutta? Go as a missionary to Haiti, or El Salvador?" Sometimes, it is difficult to discern God's will. But we should never ever give up. God is calling us all the time. As of now, I believe that God wants me to keep serving the poor in Waldorf: the poor in spirit (those who suffer in their relationship with God, no longer perceive God's love, or even no longer trust in God), the poor in physical/emotional health (those who suffer in their bodies and minds) and the financially poor (who may not have enough food or are afraid of being evicted from the place where they have a shelter, or are already homeless). I know that as a priest and pastor, the greatest assistance I can provide to the poor is to assist them in getting closer to God.
God is calling you! He wants you to be a more engaged disciple of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He wants to stretch you spiritually. He wants you to do HIS WILL. He wants you to know more about our Lord Jesus Christ. He wants you to follow Him every day of your lives. He wants you to pass on your Faith to your children and friends. He wants you to share your Joy and Peace with everyone. The only question remains, “God, how do you want me to do all this?”
May we all be inspired by the example of Andrew, who left everything to follow Jesus once he had encountered Him and believed that Jesus was truly the Messiah, the Savior. He could not wait to give the good news to his brother Simon, and to take him to Jesus!
One in Christ,
Fr. Alain
