The Lord speaks to us: this is a fact. What does it take for us to listen with an open heart, in such a way that we truly encounter God?
In today’s first reading from Exodus, the Lord appears upon Mount Sinai in smoke and fire, thunder and lightning, earthquake and trumpet blast. It is a grand display of power that simply cannot be ignored or denied. At times, we may desire God to speak to us in such an obvious and powerful way. Yet the reaction of the Israelites is one of fear and trembling; they will later ask God not to speak to them in the same way (Exod 20:18–21). They fear to encounter God so directly.
The Gospel today presents another way God speaks: in the person of Jesus Christ, the Word of the Father, who preaches in parables. But even though God speaks in an human, approachable manner, the crowds do not understand—not because Jesus is intentionally obscure, but because to listen with openness and understanding would require them to encounter God—ultimately the same frightening prospect as the Israelites faced.
Today, let us consider the ways that God speaks: in thunder and lightning, in parable, and in the small still voice of the Spirit (cf. 1 Kgs 19:12). Are we willing to listen in such a way that we will truly encounter the Lord? We pray for the courage to do so.