Greetings, Sisters, Brothers and Friends of the Community,
In today’s lectionary reading in John we learn of yet another voice speaking from heaven. This time it is to affirm that Jesus was indeed glorifying God’s name. In chapter 12, verse 28, Jesus raises a prayer to heaven: “Father, glorify your Name.” The voice responded from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
What was interesting to me about this exchange is the perception of it by the people. Verse 29 reads, “The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
Why do people have such different interpretations of what they all experience together? Why do some people brush off the obviousness of God as just thunder, while others see it for the truth? Perhaps the answer comes to us a little later in this chapter when we read what the prophet Isaiah observed: “Who believes our message? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Some could not believe because of the hardness of their hearts – and this blinds their eyes and stuffs their ears.” They hear angelic voices only as blunt claps of thunder.
The messages of God’s love are everywhere – if we just have eyes to see and ears to hear. They are in the big things (the earth, the air, the stars) and they are in the little things (a bite of food, a flower, a smile and helping hand from a friend, the whisper of a “thank you”)
The hardness of our heart is another way of describing the dysfunctional ego that encapsulates our soul, clogging our ears and blinding our eyes. As we learn to pry these scales from our soul, as St. Paul did on his journey to Damascus, we begin to more clearly hear the loving angelic voices from heaven, and see the good works of love in our lives, moment by moment. Yes, life is tough, and there is pain, but it is made worse by those who only hear thunder. As more of us hear the angels’ voices, all things will improve.
As you journey through this coming week, watch for two things: First, observe what scales may be covering your heart, and see them for what they are – no good. Second, see more clearly the things that happen in your life, moment by moment, that are little miracles; continuous acts from a loving God trying to get your attention, “Hey you! I love you!”
(And I will try to see the additional snow we got this morning as a blessing. It is a blessing. It IS a blessing. Yes, it is. Well…I’ll keep working on it.)
Blessings to all,
Your brother,
Daniel-Joseph
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