3 Suggestions For Hearing And Responding To God’s Voice [Catholic and Open]

FollowingtheTruth.com ^ | Jan 11th, 2012 | Garu Zimak

[Salvation]

3 Suggestions For Hearing And Responding To God’s Voice

Jan 11th, 2012

by Gary Zimak.

What does God want me to do?

That’s a question that we often ask ourselves.  While complaining that the Lord doesn’t speak to us, we sometimes fail to recognize the fact that He is speaking…it’s just that we’re not listening!

How do we get better at hearing and responding to God’s voice?  The readings from today’s Mass hold some important clues.  In the First Reading (1 Sm 3:1-10, 19-20), Samuel is unaware that the voice he is hearing is actually coming from the Lord.  Fortunately, the high priest Eli is able to let Samuel know that God is speaking to him.

LESSON 1:  Seek out the advice of a spiritual director or a trusted friend when trying to hear the Lord’s voice in your life.

In today’s Gospel (Mk 1:29-39), after healing Simon’s mother-in-law,  Jesus rose early the next morning and “went off to a deserted place, where He prayed”.

LESSON 2:  If you want to hear the Lord speaking to you, find a quiet place (even if only for a few minutes) and pray.  If it was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for us.  According to St. Cyprian of Carthage, “If He who is without sin prayed, how much more ought sinners to pray?”

Once we have determined that the Lord is speaking to us (and possibly calling us to do something), there is one more thing that we should do.  While it is important that we learn to identify God’s voice, it is more important that we obey His commands.  A great piece of advice can be found in today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 40:2 and 5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10)…

Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

LESSON 3:  Be open to what the Lord may be asking of you, even if it is difficult!

Following these 3 simple suggestions will help you hear and respond to the God’s voice.  Give it a try today and see what happens!

[Salvation]

Gary Zimak is the founder of Following The Truth Ministries (http://www.followingthetruth.com), a lay apostolate created to assist Catholics in learning more about their Faith. He is a regular guest on EWTN Radio’s “Son Rise Morning Show”, Ave Maria Radio’s “Catholic Connection with Teresa Tomeo” and appears frequently on several other Catholic radio programs.  In addition to writing for CatholicLane. Mr. Zimak hosts a daily program on BlogTalkRadio and posts frequently on his blog, Facebook and Twitter.  He is a member of Catholics United For The Faith and the Knights of Columbus and resides in New Jersey.

[Salvation]

Praying and Listening Ping.

[Vaquero]

grades 1-10 in Catholic Schools.

47 years later and still no voices.

[narses]

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[Nachoman]

God spoke to me and said that he had truly mediocre plans for my life.

[Heart-Rest]

"grades 1-10 in Catholic Schools. 47 years later and still no voices."

Perhaps it is time to turn the other ear...

[Vaquero]

Perhaps.

[ottbmare]

You were expecting VOICES? Gee, I hope you don’t actually hear voices. I hope I don’t, either.

[Lee N. Field]

3 Suggestions For Hearing And Responding To God’s Voice [Catholic and Open]
The readings from today’s Mass hold some important clues.

Excepting the bolded part, very, very similar to stuff circulating in evangelicalism. Which does not surprise me, at all.

Did you know, there are whole books for the evangelical market, about interpreting signs and omens, urges and belly rumbles, to discern the will of God?

[cloudmountain]

I don't think it does any good to tell people to listen to God's word. People will hear what they want to hear.
There is a posted article about the "rapture." God knows where they got that from the Bible. Revelation talks of the last days but nowhere does it mention a "rapture."
So, people will not only hear what they want to hear, read what they want to read...and INVENT things that they want to interpret their own way.
I guess that is the danger of not being a Catholic and being able and qualified to interpret God's words any which way but loose.
The rapture?! Whaaaat? Our pastor said this rapture frenzy started in the 19th century by the Protestants, died down but has continued to spring up (rupture?) from the throes of something, someone, who knows, every so often.

What gives? The "rapture"???

[johngrace]

Bible being read to the people in the pews. Not like a psychic reading! It is not tea reading?

It is a Bible reading only!! Hello!!

[johngrace]

Psalms, chapter 40

« previous chapter | next chapter »

1For the leader. A psalm of David.
A

2Surely, I wait for the LORD;

who bends down to me and hears my cry,a

3Draws me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the muddy clay,b

Sets my feet upon rock,

steadies my steps,

4And puts a new song* in my mouth,c

a hymn to our God.

Many shall look on in fear

and they shall trust in the LORD.

5Blessed the man who sets

his security in the LORD,

who turns not to the arrogant

or to those who stray after falsehood.d

6You, yes you, O LORD, my God,

have done many wondrous deeds!

And in your plans for us

there is none to equal you.e

Should I wish to declare or tell them,

too many are they to recount.f

7*Sacrifice and offering you do not want;g

you opened my ears.

Holocaust and sin-offering you do not request;

8so I said, “See; I come

with an inscribed scroll written upon me.

9I delight to do your will, my God;

your law is in my inner being!”h

10When I sing of your righteousness

in a great assembly,

See, I do not restrain my lips;

as you, LORD, know.i

11I do not conceal your righteousness

within my heart;

I speak of your loyalty and your salvation.

I do not hide your mercy or faithfulness from a great assembly.

12LORD, may you not withhold

your compassion from me;

May your mercy and your faithfulness

continually protect me.j
B

13But evils surround me

until they cannot be counted.

My sins overtake me,

so that I can no longer see.

They are more numerous than the hairs of my head;

my courage fails me.k

14LORD, graciously rescue me!l

Come quickly to help me, LORD!

15May those who seek to destroy my life

be shamed and confounded.

Turn back in disgrace

those who desire my ruin.m

16Let those who say to me “Aha!”n

Be made desolate on account of their shame.

17While those who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you.

May those who long for your salvation

always say, “The LORD is great.”o

18Though I am afflicted and poor,

my Lord keeps me in mind.

You are my help and deliverer;

my God, do not delay!

[johngrace]

Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 01-16-12
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 01-16-12 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on Sun Jan 15 22:13:24 2012 by Salvation

January 16, 2012
Monday, Weekday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 1 Sm 15:16-23
Samuel said to Saul:
“Stop! Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.”
Saul replied, “Speak!”
Samuel then said: “Though little in your own esteem,
are you not leader of the tribes of Israel?
The LORD anointed you king of Israel and sent you on a mission, saying,
‘Go and put the sinful Amalekites under a ban of destruction.
Fight against them until you have exterminated them.’
Why then have you disobeyed the LORD?
You have pounced on the spoil, thus displeasing the LORD.”
Saul answered Samuel: “I did indeed obey the LORD
and fulfill the mission on which the LORD sent me.
I have brought back Agag, and I have destroyed Amalek under the ban.
But from the spoil the men took sheep and oxen,
the best of what had been banned,
to sacrifice to the LORD their God in Gilgal.”
But Samuel said:
“Does the LORD so delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as in obedience to the command of the LORD?
Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission than the fat of rams.
For a sin like divination is rebellion,
and presumption is the crime of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the command of the LORD,
he, too, has rejected you as ruler.”
Responsorial Psalm Ps 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23
R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Gospel Mk 2:18-22
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.
People came to Jesus and objected,
“Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them,
“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.
No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak.
If he does, its fullness pulls away,
the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the skins are ruined.
Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”

[johngrace]

Philippians 4:6-7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

A Personal NOTE of Inspiration for others-When I was sick which caused shortness of breath in 1994. The doctor wanted me to go in the hospital for them to find out what was wrong. It was so bad to breath it was scary. I thought is this it Lord.

So I just prayed continually. I kept this up. In my mind 41-3 comes up. 41-3 repeat 41-3repeat 41-3. A constant number 41-3. This went on for several minutes. Well I am thinking this has to be the Lord. So I figure its in the Bible. I feel I should start with Psalms. I found my answer.

Here it is:

Psalm41:

3"The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You [a]restore him to health."

It took awhile to found out what was wrong. It was a mold spore that I breathed into the lung which caused an allergic inflamation to the lung tissue. But the Godly revelation comforted till I got better. At the time I was a caregiver for my invalid mother. She was always praying the Rosary and Divine Mercy Prayers which I now do since her death.

This is in My profile here in Freepers Land.

Praise Jesus!!

[Salvation]

What are you talking about?

There is no bolding in the Mass Readings unless I do it to emphasize a point.

Good grief there are six translations on the Daily Readings threads — that would be a lot of work to bold parts on all of them.

RNAB, RSV< Jerusalem, Douay Rheims, Clementina Vulgata and Greek.

I wondering where you got this impression?

[Salvation]

You may not hear it in your ear, you might, just might, hear it in your heart.

Sometimes I will be busy going about my day, and someone calls to say something. Then I might read the same thing online. The next day at Bible Study — I might hear it again

Oops — three times.....OK, God, what are you trying to tell me. Then I pray and think and be quiet.

[Lee N. Field]

What are you talking about?

There is no bolding in the Mass Readings unless I do it to emphasize a point.

No, I bolded that, to point you it.

RNAB, RSV< Jerusalem, Douay Rheims, Clementina Vulgata and Greek.

I wondering where you got this impression?

Now, I don't know what you're talking about.

[johngrace]

Oh I thought you were comparing the The Reading Of The Mass as Occultic like tea reading or something. If this is not so I apologize. The way you worded that sounded strange.

[Vaquero]

You were expecting VOICES?

not really....