Gospel Reflection from Notre Dame

God has tried to speak with people ever since there have been people. The Bible can perhaps be summed up as a series of stories about God’s attempts at communication and the various responses people have made.

Today, Jesus takes a focused look at that history, and his interpretation is less than glowing. Through a parable, Jesus calls to mind the stories of the prophets. God sent many prophets over the ages to preach about God’s love and our responsibilities. Nearly every time, these prophets were dismissed or killed for speaking unwelcome words. God then sent his very own son, as the landowner in the story did, in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, this time people would listen.

God has sent countless messengers to each of us, too, to call us to greater relationship with him. Sometimes it is not easy to hear this message, either because God is sending a difficult message or because we do not know how to truly listen. Such listening requires great patience and practice, and we must set aside time in our lives to better hear that voice. Hearing God’s voice is not an easy task, but it is one we must all strive to do.

The good news is, as we learn from this parable today, God is immensely patient with us. God continues to speak to us each day, no matter how far we have drifted or how long it has been since we tried to listen. No matter what we do, God will continue to try to speak to us and will always give us a chance to return.

While God will always welcome us back, we must accept that welcome and act upon it by responding to God’s call. God speaks to us incessantly. Each day, God tries to speak to us. Today, we try to listen to that word and act upon it.