Reflections from the Heart – October 27, 2024

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
by Fr. Ivan Olmo

Many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” What does salvation look like, or sound like to you. What do you hope it will provide you if you receive it? Would you recognize salvation’s voice? Would you recognize his face if you saw him? Do you know who you are listening to, the place and direction that person is leading you to? Is it to the place flowing with milk and honey, the land God promised you, heavenly, eternal, your salvation? Or is it to that place of unquenchable thirst, the land God warned you about, eternal desolation, your damnation? Do you want to be saved, need to be saved, hope to be saved? Do you know, believe and recognize the One who says to you in the Eucharist, in the confessional, through his poor priests, “go in peace, your sins have been forgiven.” Would you recognize the face of mercy, the voice of reason, the words of absolution, the gift of freedom, the source of your salvation? Listening is such a blessed gift. It is the key and the doorway to your salvation and the grace of entering more fully into the blessed everlasting relationship with the One who created and sustains you, the One who saved and redeemed you, the One who sanctifies and blesses you. Listening attentively to the One who speaks tenderly to you alleviates the worry and stress associated with sinfulness. It takes away the fear and the anxiety of worrying, stressing and wondering will I be saved? Will someone be coming to help me, to my assistance, to my aid? Will someone be coming into my life, into my daily situation, to my assistance and save me? Will I ever be free again, at peace again, happy again? Will I see my loved ones once more or spend an eternity alone, punished, enslaved, paying for my sins over and over again? Listening is the answer to your prayer, the hope your petition is heard, your cry noticed, your calling out and pleading worthwhile. Listening provides the instruction you need to hear, the direction you need to take, the information you have been waiting for, everything you hope for and so much more. Listening to God provides the help we long for, the aid we asked for, the assistance we so desperately need. Don’t be afraid to call out “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me” but listen for his voice saying, “I forgive you, go in peace.”