While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
“Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.”
He replied, “Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.” (Lk 11:27-28)
We all look for ways to be blessed.
We often think that other people are more blessed than we are.
Jesus tells us the simple truth of the matter is that anyone is blessed who hears the word of God and observes it.
Hear and observe.
As simple as that sounds, those are two toughies.
It is hard to hear the word of God in a world that is filled with loud distraction — distraction, I might add, designed specifically to keep us from hearing God’s word.
Those distractions tantalize us.
They invite us to do things that we should not do, to leave things undone that we should do.
In short, those distractions tempt us to sin. Instead of observing God’s word, we end up observing the word and will of our world.
In order to observe God’s word, we need to cut through all the chatter and clatter of the world so that we may be disposed properly to hear what God has to say to us.
FAITH ACTION: Spend some time in silence today, perhaps reading a favorite scripture passage or some spiritual reading. Try to discern God’s word speaking to your heart.