A gentle whisper amid the tumult
By Sister Lynn Mousel, CHM
Special to The Witness
One of my favorite readings was included in our scriptures for the Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time. It is from 1 Kings chapter 19, where the prophet Elijah recognizes the voice of God as a gentle whisper.
These times can often seem chaotic and noisy. Just reading or listening to the news brings up the sounds of suffering, protests, violence, and division. Not to mention the sounds of the storm Isaias or the massive explosion in Beirut. Even as I write this, it is a stormy day with high winds, loss of electricity and trees down. I find my inner self is stirred with sadness, worry and unrest as I take it all in. I can relate to Elijah as one disastrous event after another happened while he was hiding in the cave.
In the midst of the pandemic and exposure of inequality and injustice, as it all surrounds us, how are we called to respond? What can keep us moving forward in the light of hope? I think like Elijah, we are encouraged to listen to the small still voice of God, both collectively and individually.
These times call for creative and new responses. We are in territory we have never seen before. As scary as things can be, there are also great possibilities. We can hope that as a society, we will heed the call to get things right, to finally make changes in structures fraught with racism and inequality. We can hope that our sense of interconnectedness with one another and creation will grow.
I have faith that the whispering voice of God will lead us in the right direction as it did Elijah, especially if we all listen together. For me, it has been a privilege to listen for this voice as a member of a religious community, knowing of the support of my fellow sisters and others on the journey with us. The members of the Dubuque Area Vocation Association continue to offer support for those discerning, listening for God’s voice in the midst of it all, to discover their vocational call.
Sister Lynn is the coordinator of membership development of the Congregation of Humility of Mary. She enjoys sharing the spirit and mission of her community, whether it is with those discerning a vocation to religious life, lay associates, or staff of the Humility of Mary Center and sponsored ministries. For more on the Dubuque Area Vocation Association, visit http://discernyourvocation.org/.
