Listening to the Lord, Rising and Going forth

 

Listening to the Lord inspires our going forth.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Tuesday of 27th Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, October 10th, 2023
Texts: Jonah 3:1-10; Psalm 130; Luke 10:38-42 

We learn from today’s readings about discipleship, our life as Christians. It is about listening to the Lord, rising and going forth. We witness this at mass. We listen to the Lord at mass, receive Him in the Holy Communion, then we rise and the Priest says, “Go forth, the mass is ended” Today’s gospel reading emphasises the priority of listening to the Lord. Jesus comments about Mary who sat at His feet, listening to Him: “Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her."  

It is always good to listen to the Lord. It is enlightening and builds hope. When we listen to the Lord our hearts burn and glow within us. That was the experience of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. In their words: “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:32) Listening to the Lord also bring about faith. That was the experience of the Samaritans at their encounter with Jesus. They said, “We believe now, not because of what you said, but because we ourselves have heard him” (John 4:42). 

Listening to the Lord inspires our going forth

After listening to the Lord, we are to hear His voice: "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you." Our Nineveh is the place we are to tell them the message. The message we are to tell is what we have heard from Him. If we do not listen to the Lord we either become dumb or proclaim our own message. Listening to the Lord inspires our going forth. No going forth without listening or else we proclaim ourselves.  

When we go forth, we go in the strength of the Lord. This is clear in today’s first reading as the journey which takes three days takes a day. We read, “Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey.” 

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, make our hearts attune to Your word and listen to You always; grant that we may not listen to You in vain but go forth to tell about You to the world. Amen  

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke