“Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows” (Lk 12:6-7).

About thirty-five years ago I was in high school and either in my junior or senior sociology or psychology class my teacher mentioned that if we thought Stephen King told amazing tales, we should definitely read the Bible, especially regarding the imagery found in the Book of Revelation. My teacher’s comment piqued my interest because at the time I enjoyed reading Stephen King, though I had not spent any time reading the Bible. My teacher’s words stayed with me beyond that class period.

A few weeks or months later I remember going to Waldens, a book store, at the Enfield Mall in the next town over from where I grew up in East Windsor, Connecticut. I purchased a King James Bible. I don’t remember reading it right away, but shortly some time after, I do remember leaving a party with some classmates. I don’t remember anything about the party or why I left, but when I arrived home, I went up to my room and for some reason grasped my new Bible. I then just opened it at random and began reading. The verse above was what I read, and it was the first time I can remember experiencing God speaking to me.

It was not the booming voice I imagined emanating from the burning bush that was directed to Moses, the room didn’t shake, nor did the lights flicker. In the quiet and still moment though, I heard in my mind something along the lines of, “You will not ever win the lottery, but like the sparrows, I will take care of you. I will always give you the ability and means to work.” God has proven true to his word. There have been some tight financial times through the years, but each time God has provided through the kindness of friends, families, as well as some amazing assistance out of the norm.

My students ask me from time to time if God still speaks to us as he spoke to the people in the Bible. I share, “Absolutely!” Then offer the example I shared above as well as move on to the wide range of ways God communicates and reaches out to us. He does speak to us directly, he also speaks to us through his Word in our personal reading, in our time of communal worship, he speaks to us through music, through the preaching we hear, he speaks to us through others, through our serving each other, through his creation, and a myriad of other infinite possibilities.

The question is not so much, does he still speak to us? The question is how do we open ourselves up to the reality that we can hear his words or his silence? The first way is to ask God to help us to recognize his voice, just as the sheep that come to learn the shepherd’s voice. Another way is to come to a stillness that provides the opportunity for reflection and ask God to reveal times in the past where he has spoken and we were not aware. See what comes up. Not only do we need to make a consistent time each day to pray, but stay long enough to listen! One of the biggest reasons many of us do not hear God is because we are not listening. There are other ways to put ourselves in a position to hear God’s voice, these are a few to start. The main point is being willing to be open and believe that God speaks, and then look for God in all the aspects of our life, he really is present in the midst of our everyday experiences.

Fr Jim Martin, S.J. has expressed the search for finding God in this way: “God is always inviting us to encounter the transcendent in the everyday, the key is noticing” (Martin 2010, 86). May we take time to notice God. Let us ask him as we begin to help us to be aware of him and how he is inviting us to encounter him, and that he may help us to notice him, to recognize his voice. May we also ask God to help us to be aware of one sin today that may be blocking us from hearing him, a way in which we have said no to his invitation. Let us be a little more aware today than we were yesterday. Happy seeking!

Oh, and by the way, yesterday morning about 6:30 am at Cardinal Newman where I teach, as I was walking up to one of the side doors, I saw sitting in front of it a small sparrow sized bird. The sparrows do not escape the notice of God and neither do we. We can trust and believe that God loves us, he cares for us, and he provides for us.

Link for today’s Mass readings:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102017.cfm

Martin, S.J., James. The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life. NY: Harper Collins, 2010.