Hearing and Acting

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but were unable to join him because of the crowd.
He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside
and they wish to see you.”
He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”  Lk 8:19-21

A favorite theme that I frequently like to elaborate on is “hearing the voice of God in our lives and acting on the word we hear.” Today’s scripture gives us beautiful examples of how God wills for us to receive his instruction in our hearts and to let it be our guide in life.

The gospel especially today is one that deserves our attention. Actually, it’s a familiar passage for anyone interested in apologetics because it's one that is cited regularly by detractors in a weak attempt to downplay the role of Mary by showing that Jesus sets her importance beneath that of those who act according to the will of God.

However, such an interpretation is what is properly referred to as poor exegesis. The true meaning to be gotten at in the passage, rather than focusing on any negative aspect in Jesus’ attitude toward his mother and kinsmen, brings out the sheer value of hearing and acting on the will of God—he elevates those who hear and do the Father’s will by comparing them positively to his mother and relatives.

What Jesus has to say might easily be rephrased in the form of an analogy and not lose its meaning: those who hear act on the word are to relationship with God as Jesus’ mother and kinsmen are to relationship with him.

Again, the theme today, as it has been over the weeks, focuses on action and doing. Clearly what we do is tied up with our salvation in such a way that to remove it from the theology of salvation is to be in grave error. We explore the landscape of God by placing ourselves as acting persons in the stream of real life, not by retreating from it into idealism. God is known to us by the world of life-experience that reveals him. It is as though the vision of heaven is accessible on earth by means of holy actions. The self situated in the world as a recipient of the gratuitous nature of God's self-revealing in Christ recognizes God in those actions that reveal self identity. One is known as one does.

It’s important that we take the time each day to consecrate our actions, which make up the sum of our lives and who we are in reality, to God. The thing that we must do is learn to listen for the voice of God. It is true that faith comes by hearing. Undoubtedly, familiarity with scripture, Church teachings, and prayer are invaluable. Also, learning to listen to the word—that is, to listen to God—often requires that we learn how to filter out competing voices. When we are looking for God we learn not to fix our gaze on what is not God; rather, we fix our gaze upon God wholeheartedly.

By learning to recognize the will of God we learn to enter the relationship that Jesus identifies alongside the kind of bond that is known between kin. To do the will of God is to belong to him. Learning to recognize the word is part of the hard work of discernment. However, as we begin to peel back the layers we discover the essence that lies at the heart of hearing and acting.

Comments

[Honora]

"By learning to recognize the will of God we learn to enter the relationship that Jesus identifies alongside the kind of bond that is known between kin."

Maybe it was some thought along these lines that played in Pilate's question, "What is Truth?" Some never go further in thought than Pilate, needing more proof than the equivalent of a wife's flimsy dream testimony. He did not filter out the other voices so as to hear God. Perhaps this is another reason that the example of love is critical, crucially important. Pilate did not get to see Christ's witnesses that night. All the Pilates and Herods and Caiphas' still need to see them.

[Gabrielle]

dear deacon dan, "learning to recognize the will of God"; "the hard work of discernment"; "peel back the layers". I've been listening for a long time, and peeling for a long time, and if you can bear with me, I have yet another question: is discernment, in your opinion, rational or intuitive? Or both? Or neither?

[Gabrielle]

dear deacon dan, "learning to recognize the will of God"; "the hard work of discernment"; "peel back the layers". I've been listening for a long time, and peeling for a long time, and if you can bear with me, I have yet another question: is discernment, in your opinion, rational or intuitive? Or both? Or neither?

[Gabrielle]

Oops. This darn wireless thing. I can't figure out what it's doing. :)

[Deacon DW]

Gabrielle,

Sorry to have put you off. I had intended to answer the question you previously asked as well as this newest one. Sometime this week I'd like to address discernment in a full post--perhaps several posts will be needed.

For now I'll try to give you a brief answer and then fill it in later.

Discernment is both rational and intuitive. It resembles the prophetic spirit in that it encompasses knowing in part and being led in part. Discernment must take into account the circumstances of life, while simultaneously it flows and we flow with it.

Discernment comes about as the result of both prayer and the taking into account immediate mundane concerns. One word of caution--discernment takes time, sometimes years. Discernment comes about from patience. It is a combination of faith and rational decision making--really, the two do not need to be separated since one is the obverse of the other.

[Gabrielle]

Thank you so much, dd. This alone is extremely helpful, let alone whatever else you may post. I really appreciate it.