“While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Matthew 17:5 “Mommy, mommy!” my then 4 year old son called out to me. “Uh, huh” I responded while multitasking five other mom-duties at once. “Mommy, mommy” he called out again. “Yes….” I said underneath my breath, not truly paying attention to his response. Finally, in a loud voice, he shouted “MOMMY!” With tone of irritation for having to stop my seemingly important chores, I responded “what is it you need?” As I looked down at his sweet face, I noticed that his arms were open wide as he said, “I just wanted to tell you that I think you are the best mommy in the whole wide world and that I love you thiiiiis much.” Taking him into my arms with the most humbling and heartwarming of embraces, tears streaming down my face, I felt in my heart as if God was calling out “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” I had not been listening. I had barely even been hearing him. But when I finally chose to listen, truly listen, it was as if angles were speaking through my child, opening my heart to abundant blessings. Far too often in our busy lives as mothers, we forget about the importance of listening. We may hear our children, but are we really, truly listening to them? And same thing may happen with our husbands, our friends, and even with God. How often do we stop to listen to birds chirping, church bells ringing, or simply the sound of silence? How often do we choose to take a quiet moment to pray and listen to God instead of busily multitasking our way through the mayhem of the day? In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, God sends down a bright cloud and calls out in a loud voice saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” He doesn’t say, “This is my beloved Son… tell Him all your problems”. No, he says “This is my beloved Son… listen to him.” Our Mom’s Group speaker this week, Lisa Hendey, creator of CatholicMom.com and bestselling author of “The Handbook for Catholic Moms”, discussed the importance, as mothers, of listening to God on a daily basis. She said that more often than not our prayers consist of needs and wants, which are of course important, but not nearly as important as listening to what God has to say to us. She explained that God longs to speak to us in the quiet moments as well as in the storms. He is calling out to us in so many different ways throughout our day… through our kids, though our husbands, through the Bible, and even through the fleeting moments of silence… but do we take the time to acknowledge His amazing grace? Do we take the time to truly listen? During Lent two years ago, in my final trimester of pregnancy with our third son, I made my Lenten promise to listen to the Lord every day and write down exactly what He said to me each day. This was a truly powerful and life changing experience for me. I continue to write as often as I can and reflect back on the messages He has placed perfectly in my life. With a bit of vulnerability, I wanted to share with you what God spoke to me on this very day, two years ago… My Precious Child, Remove the distractions from your life that are keeping you from a fully devoted and rewarding relationship with Me. Clear the worldly clutter. Throw away the earthly junk. Wipe your slate clean. Once you rid your life of the excess baggage which binds and blinds you, freedom will be yours. Clean your heart of negative thoughts, guilt, and worldly pressures, handing them over to Me to be thrown into my Heavenly and eternal incinerator. When you cleanse your soul of these burdens, you will breathe more easily, love more freely, and accept the rewards of my everlasting grace with an open heart. I long to give you freedom, My beloved child! Today is your day to let go and be free in Me! Love, Your Protector, Your Freedom, Your Eternal Father For Meditation: Take time today to truly listen to the Lord. Seek moments of silence, if possible, or simply listen to Him through the storm. Get a pen and paper out, and write down exactly what you hear the Lord speaking to you. Try to do this every day throughout Lent. Then on Easter, look back at the miraculous messages your Heavenly Father longs for you to hear. Written by Amy Connelly for the OLQA Mom's Group.
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January 2015
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