“Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me: And suddenly, there will come to the temple The LORD whom you seek, And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.”
God speaks to us in whispers, in the quiet of our hearts. He does not throw lightning bolts like Zeus. We often overlook simple daily joys of life, the whispers. We take them for granted.
I was in my 20’s when my parents and my grandmother died. Angry with God, I left the Church. Soon thereafter, my cousin, a Carmelite priest, invited me for dinner at his home where he celebrated Mass before dinner. We shared the eucharist over a Formica kitchen table. At that same table, we had dinner just moments later. His humble kitchen became a sacred and holy space where God whispered to me, and I heard him. It was a quiet and powerful moment. I listened and returned to the Church.
At Malden Catholic, Brother Plunkett Doherty commanded a room of boys with just a look and a whisper. When I walk with my dogs, I communicate with them quietly and they understand whole conversations with just whispers.
God sent us his messenger to prepare the way; not a warrior leading an army, but a newborn child in the humblest of circumstances. He whispered to us, and we heard.
Lord, speak to me, and I will hear you. Allow me to be open to your word and enjoy all the simple daily joys you offer me. Amen.
Steven F. Smoot