GOD STILL SPEAKS: LISTEN! CYCLE A

Some today seem to feel that God’s speaking to people happened only long ago with the prophets, with Jesus and the Apostles, or perhaps with a relatively few more recent saints. But Jesus, our Emmanuel, our “God with us,” promised that he would never leave us, that his Spirit would guide us to all truth and give us the power to be God’s witnesses to the ends of the earth. The reason we do not always hear when God speaks is because we do not always listen as carefully or as prayerfully as we ought. When we learn to do so we will find that we will recognize in what we hear our call to holiness, the definition of true greatness, the meaning of faith and trust, the loneliness of leadership, and the joy which comes from suffering offered up in union with the Lord. These reflections on the liturgical readings of Cycle A for Sundays and Holy Days will help us to focus on listening to God’s word, and having listened to obey the message that we’ve heard. Priest, deacon, lay minister and the average person in the pew will find much to ponder and practice here.

About the Author: Harold A. Buetow, PhD, JD is a priest from the Diocese of Brooklyn who spent thirty years at Catholic University where he taught and was Senior Staff Editor on The New Catholic Encyclopedia. This present title is the first of a trilogy of reflections on the Readings of the Liturgical Year. The other volumes are: All Things Made New (Cycle B) and Ode to Joy (Cycle C) Fr. Buetow has also written Thirst for Life, The New Out of the Old, Rejoicing in Hope, and Pastoral Talks for Special Occasions.