Vogel: The grace of listening

John the Baptist says, “Behold, the Lamb of God,” and they follow.

Jesus says, “I will make you fishers of men,” and they go with Him.

He preaches in the temple and with a word, even unclean spirits comply.

Incredible that so many would recognize the power and authority of Jesus with but a word or simple deed.

We each may have heard of, read about or even met a person of powerful personality who commanded respect and could motivate people to act. Some for good and some in vain.

Jesus is all of that but enlightened by His consubstantiality with His Father.

His message is the truth, and as One with the Creator of the Universe, He is one with that truth. Beyond knowing, He possesses all knowledge of the universe.

We know Him from the Gospel and the teachings of the Church. In quiet moments of meditation, we may hear Him speak in our hearts.

Oh, but to have heard His voice, spoken on this earth! Would we have been poor enough in spirit to have recognized it? Our worldly ways tell us no, such things are not real; maybe it’s indigestion, (Golde to Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof”). Take some Tums.

And yet we say “yes.” We do hear His voice and we do believe.

It is only because we are so much more than worldly creatures that we can have faith.

It is worthwhile to consider why it is that we believe all that we profess as Catholics. A good start is to read carefully the Creed that we proclaim at Mass each Sunday — reading each line and asking ourselves, “What does this mean?” “Why do I believe it?”

Indeed, sometimes the answers elude us and we are prompted to search for them. Our first resource is Scripture; the prophesies, the Gospels, the writings from the infancy of the Church. But even those would ring empty if we did not have faith.

Faith is a gift; one which is enduring for it is rooted in truth, but fragile for it is held in our imperfect human heart.

It is there in our heart that the core of our faith gives life and substance to all that we profess as Catholics.

Those who heard Jesus’ voice with their ears recognized His truth in their hearts. We have heard His words from other voices, but what we hear in our hearts is from Jesus.

Cherish those times when your mind recognizes what your heart is feeling and faith springs up within you; you have heard the voice of Jesus!

Mr. Vogel is a member of Cathedral of St. Joseph parish in Jefferson City.