Being Open to God's Revelation

01-14-2018Weekly ReflectionDeacon John C. Navaretta

In today's First Reading we see God trying to call out to Samuel, but Samuel does not realize that it is God calling to him. Yet this does not deter God, nor get him upset and annoyed because we then see God try to call to reach out to Samuel two more times with no response from Samuel. But Samuel is lucky because in the midst of all this he has help. His father Eli is with him. Eli has a strong personal relationship with God because Eli has accepted God's gift of faith and knows that it is God reaching out to his son Samuel.

Next: Eli tells Samuel "If this happens again; if you feel that someone is calling you simply say speak LORD for your servant is listening". After this the Lord, God comes a fourth time, "To Reveal" himself, his presence, to Samuel through God's gift of faith. This time Samuel is prepared and replies, "Speak for your servant is listening". After this encounter Samuel grows up and realizes that the Lord, God is always with him, so he does not permit, any word from God to be without effect on him.

The above Bible Story generates some important questions. When God calls to each and every person, how many times will he continue to call to us if we do not realize it is him, before he gets upset with us, and gives up on us? Never! God never gives up on us; not because of anything we know or do, but because God is a living and loving God, who continues to call us, through his gift of faith no matter what our thoughts and actions may be. Every human being is God's favorite. We know that there were three attempts by God, to simply call Samuel and they all failed; then the fourth worked. Why: First: Samuel has help. His father, Eli, plants a seed in his mind, by preparing his son, as to how to reply. Also the fourth time God does more than simply call out to Samuel. God reveals himself to Samuel. Because of our human nature, there is a major difference, with our response if someone simply calls out to us, versus, someone who is trying to reveal themselves to us.

Think about today's culture of "Caller ID" many times when someone calls us we look to see if it is someone we know or if it is someone we don't know. If it's someone we know, we are more apt to respond to answer the call. Also, when we are out and about and we hear people calling out to us; we are more apt to look around and respond if we recognize the voice we hear. God knows that simply calling out to us does not always work. That we need others to reach out to us concerning God and that God, himself, needs to personally reveal himself to us through his gift of faith. God sets this plan in motion at our conception when we are infused with our eternal souls and come to share in God's divine nature. Thus, instilling in us a sense and understanding of Natural Law, the Laws of Nature set in motion by God, the only source of creation so that all evolves according to his will, his plan and his design.

When each and every one of us is open to God's Revelation, we hear God in the silence of our heart; and come to fully understand God's Natural Law through the use of our reason. A reason that is generated by the natural wisdom of our conscience, instilled in us by God, to determine right from wrong. Since the Laws of Nature are God's first revelation of himself to us. If humanity cannot see God in Natural Law, the Laws of Nature, and use these laws to determine binding rules of moral behavior. Then all the other revelations of God to us are in vain.

St. Paul understood God's revelation of himself through Natural Law, the Laws of Nature, and takes it to its rightful place. St. Paul tells us that Natural Law is written in the hearts of humanity; it is recognized by man's reason and it is a law distinct from the laws of any state. But since it is a totally rational and purposeful order to the Universe; it comes to us from the Creator of the Universe; it comes to us as a revelation revealed to us by God. St Paul's thoughts and words are also developed by many of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church. Today the Law of Nature is seen as a Christian Theme, with the understanding that Natural Law is a revealed, divine and eternal law from God, written in the hearts and souls of humanity through our conscience. Also Natural Law encourages us that good is to be sought and evil avoided. So when God comes to reveal himself to us as he did to Samuel. Remember to answer as Samuel did "Speak for your servant is listening". Then realize as Samuel did, that the Lord God is always with us, so we should not permit, any word from God to be without effect on us.

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