True Obedience! Whose voice are you listening to- FR CONRAD SALDANHA

We are often fascinated by the voice of a singer or a speaker; it’s the quality of the voice that seems to matter. The popularity of many actors is due to their voice rather than their talent. However when people are in love, then it is the other way around. It is not so much the quality of the other’s voice, but the voice itself, (of the beloved), that matters; no matter how it sounds. In a telephone conversation, people in love, want to hold on to the voice of their beloved. Many a time they want to hold on to that voice at the other end of the phone, and not let go (stuck fast like glue), even after the line has been disconnected. Later they will replay the voice in the mind, and enjoy some more moments of bliss.. 

This was confirmed after speaking to this young girl married to a man working abroad. I asked her what she did when she gets a letter from her husband; Did she read it by following his thoughts, as we normally do, when reading a newspaper or novel, or did she hear his voice in every word that was written? She thought for some time. Though she, like most of us may never have thought of this aspect, yet now aware, her eyes twinkled. She had this to say: “Well, of course, I hear his voice in every word that I read in his letter.”

Oh! This is what love can do to us. The miracle of love, that makes us listen to the voice of our Beloved, rather than our own thought patterns; or our own voice, that may seek to intrude into our minds.

Did not God create us in love, and were we not created as beings meant for love?  Were we not to seek and listen to the voice of our Beloved God and Savior Jesus Christ? “My sheep listen to my voice!”

There are various ways God has spoken to us, as the Scriptures remind us in; Heb 1:2 ‘but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,’ (RSV)

Through His Son, (yes only through His Son) He still speaks to us in the daily situations of life. He speaks to us in nature, through His Son, and as in the Gospel He speaks to us through others, yet again through His Son. Like at a Sunday sermon He still speaks to us through His Word, but still through His Son.

            

In all these, do we listen to the voice of our Beloved, Lord and master? If we listen to these directly as God speaking to us, then we are bound to go astray, but if we listen to them and attune ourselves to God our Beloved, who is with us in all situations as Emmanuel: God with us, then we shall definitely hear His voice. Just as when someone gets us news of our beloved, we would, in that, seek and listen and try to find the voice of our beloved or loved ones even in a messenger.

In other words, there are three ways one could be listening: 1) Listening to the reading by hearing the voice of the speaker. 2) Listening to your own inner voice as the word is spoken and proclaimed. 3)  Or listen to the voice of the Beloved as we hear the word of God read and proclaimed.

In all our education we are trained to listen either to ourselves or listen to others. Even our spiritual education is many a time oriented in the same direction. Hence what is required is a discipline with discernment. For among the supernatural voices we could be hearing the voice of an unwanted entity - Satan. This could be compared to the interfering voice of that jealous woman who is envious of the mutual love of a legitimate couple.

The Discipline and Discernment (DD) retreats, which were conducted from 2004-08 by us, trained one towards this aspect of listening to the Beloved’s voice.  Many of the retreatants still testify to this grace, which they have strongly received at this retreat even as they daily practice the disciplines thereof.

In comparison to so called eastern Prayer techniques such as Yoga, Vippassana, Zen and other syncretistic methods under the garb of Christian Yoga and Christian mediation we at DD strongly denounce these techniques and methodology. This never helps in listening, or in having a dialogue with the living God. This is fully in keeping with the mind of the Catholic Church. 

“Christian prayer is always determined by the structure of the Christian faith, in which the very truth of God and creature shines forth. For this reason, it is defined, properly speaking, as a personal, intimate and profound dialogue between man and God”. (OF; SCDF: 15th Oct. 1989; Art. 3)
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19891015_meditazione-cristiana_en.html  ( COPY AND PASTE THIS LINK IN WEB BROWSER)

“In a cultural environment, marked by religious relativism, it is necessary to signal a warning against the attempt to place New Age religiosity on the same level as Christian faith,” (6 Feb 2003, Chp.4:1.. PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE. JESUS CHRIST THE BEARER OF THE WATER OF LIFE. A Christian reflection on the “New Age” ) 
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html (COPY AND PASTE THIS LINK IN WEB BROWSER)

Hence Christians need to get into the discipline of prayer and listening diligently to the voice of the Beloved. The question to ask is this - Are we following our own thought patterns, or are we listening to the voice of our Beloved as the Word is read and proclaimed? Listening to the voice of the speaker is a fruitless and empty exercise. We listen either as zombies, or because the voice attracts or fascinates us. 2) listening to yourself means that you are analyzing and are involved in the act of fault finding or appreciation at human level. 3) Listening to the voice of the Beloved, the voice of God means trusting not to our own understanding to lead us, nor our emotions and fleshly pulls to overtake us, but trusting the Lord in total surrender and allowing Him to guide us.

Seek the Lord while yet He may be found, grow in love of Him, trust and surrender and you will not falter as you seek to listen to the voice of your Beloved.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to realize the importance of listening and the need to train myself to be your true disciple. Let me commit myself right now in your presence, to have a fixed time and a place for prayer, so as to listen to your voice.