CHRISTIANS CALLED UPON TO DISCERN THE VOICE OF GOD AND HEED TO HIS CALL
Christians have been called upon to discern the voice of God and heed to his call. This call was made by Fr. Austen Christmas, the Parish Priest of Our Lady of Good Shepherd Rushoroza Cathedral Parish while preaching in 2nd Mass in Rushoroza Cathedral on Sunday, January 14, 2024. Drawing his message from the first reading of the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (1 Samuel 3:3-10,19), Fr. Austen urged Christians to always listen and discern the voice of God.
He said that God called Samuel three times, but Samuel did not exactly know the voice that was calling him, and so he went to Eli, thinking it was Eli calling him. However, Eli helped him to discern and discover the call of God by instructing him: when he calls again, say “Speak lord for your servant is listening.”
Fr. Austen said that Samuel heard this call of God from temple at Shiloh, not in any other place, thereby imploring the Christians to always find time to be in silence in the presence of God. Quoting the Psalmist, Fr. Austen said, “harden not your heart today but listen to the voice of the Lord” (Psalm 95:7-8).
Everyday we are called upon to discern this call of God. In this world, there are many voices, both good and evil. So take your time to discern which one is the voice of God. We must have people to help us discern this voice of the Lord, as Eli helped Samuel discover the call of God. Therefore, have somebody who can help you discover if it’s the call of God or the call of the evil one – Fr. Austen Christmas.
