First reading: 1 Samuel 3:3-10,19
Psalm: Ps 40:2,4,7-10
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 6:13-15,17-20
Gospel: John 1:35-42

the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Listening:

Moriah was two and was on a cross-country flight home after visiting with relatives. Bored, tired, and cranky, Moriah asked for her Zebra, her favorite stuffed animal and comfort object. Unfortunately, her zebra was absentmindedly packed in a suitcase that was checked at the baggage counter.

Moriah’s father replied “I’m sorry, honey, but we can’t get Zebra right now. He’s in the big suitcase in another part of the airplane.”

“I want Zebra,” she whined pitifully.

Her father replied, “I know, sweetheart. But Zebra isn’t here. He’s in the baggage compartment under-neath the plane and Daddy can’t get him until we get off the plane. I’m sorry.”

“I want Zebra! I want Zebra!” she moaned again. Then she started to cry, twisting in her safety seat and reaching futilely toward a bag on the floor.

“I know you want Zebra,”her father said, feeling his blood pressure rise. “But he’s not in that bag. He’s not here and I can’t do anything about it. Look, why don’t we read about Ernie,” He said, fumbling for one of her favorite picture books.

“Not Ernie!” she wailed, angry now. “I want Zebra. I want him NOW!”

By now, Her dad was getting “do something” looks from the passengers, from the airline attendants, from his wife, seated across the aisle. He looked at Moriah’s face, red with anger, and imagined how frustrated she must feel. After all, wasn’t he the guy who could whip up a peanut butter sandwich on demand? Make huge purple dinosaurs appear with the flip of a TV switch? Why was he withholding her favorite toy from her? Didn’t he understand how much she wanted it?

Dad felt bad. Then it dawned on him: He couldn’t get Zebra, but could offer her the next best thing — a father’s comfort. “You wish you had Zebra now,” he said to her. “Yeah,” she said sadly.

“And you’re angry because we can’t get him for you.”

“Yeah.”

“You wish you could have Zebra right now,” he repeated, as she stared at him, looking rather curious, almost surprised. “Yeah,” she muttered. “I want him now.”

“You’re tired now, and smelling Zebra and cuddling with him would feel real good. I wish we had Zebra here so you could hold him. Even better, I wish we could get out of these seats and find a big, soft bed full of all your animals and pillows where we could just lie down.” “Yeah,” she agreed.

“We can’t get Zebra because he’s in another part of the airplane,” he said. “That makes you feel frustrated.” “Yeah,” she said with a sigh.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, watching the tension leave her face. She rested her head against the back of her safety seat. She continued to complain softly a few more times, but she was growing calmer. Within a few minutes, she was asleep.

In our lives:

We have these experiences don’t we? Someone is speaking to us, expressing themselves, and we hear their words, but we don’t connect. The father heard his daughter’s words. She wanted the zebra. His reaction was to explain the impossibility of getting the zebra. She was crying and complaining. He was explaining and explaining, but he wasn’t listening to her. She needed zebra and she needed to be comforted and understood.

God speaks:

God speaks to us in much the same way. He fills both the roles expressed in our story. He expresses His needs to us, hoping we will listen. He is also the understanding Father who listens to us and knows our needs.

Today, God is speaking directly to the needs of this parish. He understands the needs of its people. He is also expecting that we will listen to what He is saying to us. He is expressing His needs and desires for us.

First:

God knows what is going on here. He is not an absent, far away father. He is our Father, and He is always present and with us. He knows the deepest desires we carry within us, as individuals and as a parish community. He knows that we are afraid, that difficult decisions are ahead, and that we need both comfort and security.

One of our unfortunate tendencies is to judge in human terms. We fail to see Jesus standing right next to us. We need to realize that God has not left us, has not abandoned us, and that He has a plan for us.

To listen:

For our part, we need to — as is commonly said to young people — put on our listening ears. To listen, we need to start by taking a breath. The father in our story was so anxious, so set on proving to his daughter that zebra wasn’t available that he only made things worse. Then he stopped and took a breath. That calm moment freed him from the things he had predetermined, and opened his heart to listening.

We need to listen to God’s voice before we finalize our choices. We must ask whether God been part of our decision. Have I read His word, listened to it, and prayed? Then, did I take a breath and listen to God’s desires?

What does God want?

God has been speaking to us for eons. Centuries of His word are with us. When we are fearful or confronted by difficult decisions we often say a prayer and expect God to appear, solve our problems, or give us a clear and direct answer about what He wants. If we listen we will find that God has already given us the answers we need. These answers include that:

We are to live as a community. We are to love one another. We must not take charge or be the boss, instead we are to be the servants of others. We are to welcome the stranger. We are to proclaim God’s word. We are to offer Jesus to all who seek Him.

Together:

We cannot do any of this alone. That is what the Holy Polish National Catholic Church is about. It is ultimately about building a community in each place where we follow the Word of God. To follow His word, we need to listen. Once we have listened, like the apostles and disciples, we are to get up and follow Him. Amen.