Aug 13, 2023 English

A summer stoppage of the usual hustle and bustle can provide us with a new perspective in understanding and rearranging the key priorities of life. In our first reading for today (1 Kings 19), the prophet Elijah stood on the mountain of God, Horeb, obeying the command of the Lord. It was not in a strong and rock-crushing wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, where he found the Lord, but in a tiny whispering sound, he realized that he was in the presence of the Lord.
 
When we are forced to retreat from our normal routine, perhaps the Lord will show us the way in an unexpected fashion. Instead of constantly being agitated by the news and politicized claims and assertions, we need to turn to the Lord. We are invited to pay attention to the tiny whisper from the Lord. When we are liberated from an addiction to social network services (SNS), we may be able to be attentive to the voice of the Lord. That is basically what a spiritual retreat is all about. We cut ourselves off the incessant noise and cacophony of the world. That is what Jesus would do routinely as described in today’s gospel. During this time out, we get much-needed rest and recuperate from the toil and stress of work, and finally we may be able to hear the tiny whisper. Proper tuning of our soul is necessary for proper reception of the voice of God.

We may have heard, “Life is short, play hard!” But we realize that “Life is short, pray hard!” Prayer is the lifting of our soul to God. Prayer is a dialogue with God, for which we first need to turn off all noises around us and in us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines prayer as a "vital and personal relationship with the living and true God" (CCC, no. 2558). Prayer is Christian "insofar as it is communion with Christ" (CCC, no. 2565), and a "covenant relationship between God and man in Christ" (CCC, no. 2564). Obviously, actual praying is more important than knowing about prayers.
 
One of the surest ways to hear the word of God is to read and meditate on the Bible. During this liturgical year A, Sunday gospels are mostly from Matthew’s gospel. It is a wonderful opportunity to read and study this gospel. Matthew is well organized like a great teacher, so easy follow.
 
Taking time to play and pray keeps us from having fatigues and illusions. Rejoicing in the Lord’s presence in God’s creation, we get refreshed and renewed with our energy, imagination, and creativity restored and recuperated so that we can re-create and restart.

I hope we all have a good and restful summer even though some of us may feel that we cannot afford to have any time off. Still, we all need to search for new ways to live and to regain a new perspective and attitude. No matter who we are and what we do, God equally and generously gives us 24 hours a day and seven days a week. After all, it is God’s time that we are endowed with in the first place. May we never forget this! Have a great summer because it is a training ground for the Great Sabbath, Heaven!

Fr. Paul D. Lee