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Here is the study for 6:30 am, Saturday morning, August 6th, 2005 in the Hearth Room at Epiphany.

Hearing God’s Still Small Voice

Sunday, August 7, 2005
1 Kings 19:9,11-13
Psalm 85:9-14
Romans 9:1-5
Matthew 14:22-23

Can God really speak to us as he spoke to Elijah? All the evidence may tell us yes, but each of us still faces some challenges in hearing his still, small voice. The first challenge is one of faith: “Do I believe that God really can speak to me?” If the answer is, “yes,” then go on to the next paragraph. If it is “no,” then read Ephesians 1:17-21 over and over again until you feel the Holy Spirit giving you confidence and hope.

The second challenge is one of worthiness. I may believe that God can speak to me, but I am not very holy, so why would he want to? To answer this challenge, read the centurion’s words in Matthew 8:8—the same words we will pray at Mass today. True, we are not worthy, but Jesus has said the word, and in baptism we were healed.

The third challenge is, “How do I hear revelation from the Lord?” And that’s where today’s first reading comes in. Sometimes, God speaks to us with signs of wonder and power, almost hitting us over the head with a new insight, a calling, or a rebuke to our conscience. But for Elijah, God was not in the powerful wind, the earthquake, or the fire. He spoke to him in a “sound of sheer silence” (1 Kings 19:12).

This is why prayer is so critical. Day after day, we are barraged with voices and noises that can drown out the voice of God. How vital, then, that we quiet our minds in God’s presence and try to sense what he is saying to us. How vital that we gaze upon him, whether on the cross in our homes or in the tabernacle in church, and pour out our hearts so that he can pour his heart into us! How vital that we read his words slowly and prayerfully, asking his Spirit to write them on our hearts!

Every day, God is waiting for us to come to him. Every day, he has something new to tell us. Let’s start today and see where his still, small voice leads us!

“Father, open my ears, my eyes, and my heart to you.”

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1.                In the first reading, Elijah “saw” the Lord in the “tiny whispering sound.” Do you believe that God can speak to you deep within, as you come to him in prayer? Why or why not?

2.                The Responsorial Psalm also speaks of “seeing” the Lord’s kindness and “hearing” what God proclaims. Share with the men in your group a time when you heard from God during a time of prayer.

3.                In the second reading, St. Paul expresses his great desire for the salvation of the Jewish people, even to the point of being willing to be “cut off from Christ for the sake of my people.” He then goes on to explain all that we Christians have inherited from the Jewish people, ending with the fact that from them came Jesus Christ himself. What steps can you take to express your thankfulness for this “inheritance” to some Jewish people you know?

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