Read the Bishop's Blog

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Below, is Bishop Steven's homily for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday, September 1.

“Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.” (James 1:21)

Have you ever noticed how silence restores your soul? It might be a hike in nature or a weekend in the wilderness. It rejuvenates you. Another way to be renewed is daily reflection on the Scriptures or taking time for silent prayer in adoration. Silence reconnects you with the Lord. It restores your soul. 

Being silent is restorative. It is not merely silence, but in the silence our hearts are freed from noise and become receptive to God. Then you can “humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.”

Silence opens up space for God’s word, and the word produces new life. Saint James said, “God the Father gave us birth by the Word of truth” (James 1:18) The word of God gives us life. It is the source of our birth as children of God. It puts us in relationship with God. The First Letter of Saint Peter says, “You have been born anew… through the living and abiding word of God” (1:23).

Silence is key. The noise in our world hinders us from hearing God’s voice. In 2004, I went to El Salvador for an immersion experience with seminarians. We met with Auxiliary Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chavez, and a seminarian asked him, “What is your impression of the United States?” He replied, “The United States is a country with so much noise that there is hardly any room for people to hear the word of God.”

There is so much competition against the word of God. So many voices are vying for our attention: emails, texts, talking heads on TV, social media, Facebook, You Tube, Instagram, WhatsApp. The United States is a country with so much noise that there is hardly any room for people to hear the word of God.

That is a danger for every one of us. I find myself often distracted by news stories on my cell phone. It’s mostly noise. The more time I spend doing that, the more I feel drained and lifeless. But the opposite happens when I take time for silence. 

I begin every day with prayer, and it is a lifeline of sanity. Without that time I become weary and tend to be anxious. Every day, “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).

Every day dedicate time for silence and listening for God’s voice. This is a way to maintain balance and peace in life. It is lifegiving. It restores our souls. The word of God is creative. Saint James wrote: “God gave us birth by the Word of truth” (1:18).

During a busy day, it is easy to lose touch with God. We need to make decisions about our lifestyle for the word to take effect. If we are not careful, the word of God can be drowned out by noise. If we spend hours throughout the day on social media or listening to news stories, those words will dominate our thinking.

I find that I need to continuously recommit myself to less noise – news, texting, social media, etc. It is easy to be caught up in noise or incessant work. Then I find that what I heard God say in prayer has not changed my heart. The word of God can easily be drowned out by the flood of noise in society. This is one of Satan’s most effective tactics to disrupt our relationship with God.

Here are some ways to live with greater silence so that we can be in tune with God. Take a walk without your phone; meanwhile observe nature and greet people with a smile. Read the Scriptures for the day, listening for a word or phrase, then repeating that phrase and pondering it in silence. Over lunch break, take 5-10 minutes to reconnect with God, praying a few decades of the rosary. Exercise of any kind rejuvenates body, mind, and spirit. I find myself regaining perspective by walking for 30-40 minutes each day. I encourage you to find ways to live with greater silence and listen to God’s voice. Punctuate your day with intentional times of silence.

In the end, prayer and silence are meant to conform us to Christ. We should see ourselves speaking and acting like Christ. The goal is to “be doers of the word and not hearers only” (James 1:22). Jesus was the word made flesh. He was a doer of the word. 

It is not enough to be faithful at Sunday Mass, but not be transformed. Saint Augustine said, “If we receive the Eucharist worthily, we become what we receive.” If we receive the word humbly, then the word will take flesh in us.

Mass and daily prayer should impact the rest of our lives. What Jesus said to the Pharisees and scribes is a danger for us. “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Mark 7:6). When you heard that saying did it disturb you? It always disturbs me. Why? Because I know that my heart drifts away from God. The noise of society distracts me, and I fail to live in Christ. If you feel disturbed, that’s good. It means that the word of God is being received in your heart. 

Every day, sit in silence and listen to the Scriptures. Let the words challenge you to be faithful. Saint James challenges us to “humbly welcome the word” and to “be doers of the word.” 

He summed up the essence of religion by saying, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, his religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27). This is a beautiful description of the word made flesh.

In your prayer, ask God to give you the grace to “humbly welcome the word” and to “be doers of the word.”