Brothers and Sisters in Christ – On Wednesday, the first reading came from the first book of Samuel (1 Sm. 3:1-10, 19-20). It’s the story of the calling of Samuel and it’s one of my favorites. This young man was a minister under Eli. One night when Samuel was asleep in the temple of the Lord, he heard a voice calling to him. Samuel responded, “Here I am.” Thinking that it was Eli, Samuel ran to him. Eli told Samuel that he hadn’t called and sent him away to go back to sleep. The Lord called Samuel again and he responded and ran to Eli. Again, Eli sent him away. The third time Eli realized that it was the Lord calling Samuel. The young man wasn’t familiar with the Lord because the Lord hadn’t revealed anything to him. So, Eli told Samuel that if the Lord called him, he was to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” There are two spiritual postures in this reading, speaking and listening. Typically, our spiritual lives are filled with lots of speaking to the Lord. We utter our prayers. We lift up our petitions. We name our pain. That’s all good. God listens. We’re His children and God wants to hear from us. However, the spiritual life also needs to involve listening, which often doesn’t happen as much as it should. Listening to the Lord requires us to be quiet. To still ourselves. To make room for the voice of the Lord in our hearts and souls. It means being vulnerable and opening ourselves to hearing His voice that may tell us something that we don’t want to hear. When Samuel heard the Lord’s voice the third time he responded as Eli instructed him. The reading ends by saying, “Samuel, grew up, and the Lord was with him.” The reading was followed by Psalm 40 which had the refrain, “Here am I Lord; I come to do your will.” The psalmist says that the Lord “stooped to (him) and heard (his) cry.” Cultivating the disciple of silence in our spiritual lives is never easy. We live in a world that is filled with noise. The days pass by us with great speed and we all too easily get caught up in that mad rush. By the time we’re ready for bed that promise to pray passes as we doze off to sleep. However, in order to grow in our relationship with the Lord we need to make time for Him. We have to find time to sit in silence and listen to His voice. We can only grow in the faith when we allow the voice of the Lord to be our guide. I encourage you to find 10 minutes a day to make room for the Lord. Begin by uttering three times the prayer of Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” When you quiet the noise in your head, and the distractions of the world, I promise that you’ll be surprised at how quickly the Lord will respond. Prayer doesn’t need to be for a prolonged period of time. Prayer needs to just happen. A few announcements: Parish Census … Every registered parishioner/family was sent a letter from me asking you to fill out a registration form. The parish census hasn’t been updated for a number of years and it’s important to keep our records up to date. Please fill out the form and return it through the collection basket or mail. Thank you! After-School Tutoring Program … There will be an initial meeting at 9:45 a.m. this Sunday, January 14 in the parish hall. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd … The atrium dates for 2024 are: 2nd and 3rd Sundays of the month from 9:30-10:30 January 14 January 21 February 11 February 18 March 10 March 17 April 14 April 21 May 12 May 19 Faith Sharing Groups … One of the interests that was raised in the Listening Sessions were groups that would gather interested persons to reflect on sacred Scripture, share their faith, and address issues impacting our lives. This is a great opportunity for building community at St. A’s and reviving a parish ministry. Anyone who would be interested in volunteering to put a group together, please contact Fr. John at [email protected]. Year of the Eucharist … Cheryl Ashe is coordinating a Zoom small group study on Jesus and the Eucharist (http://www.eucharisticrevival.org/formation-resources). The meeting dates will be January 26, February 9, February 23, March 8, March 15, and March 22. The discussion will be led by Dianna Schmitz. If you’re interested, please talk to Cheryl. This opportunity to continued education responds to one of the areas of parish spiritual growth brought up in the Listening Sessions. Homebound Parishioners … If you know of a parishioner who is homebound or in a nursing facility, please let Fr. John know so that he can arrange to visit them. We don’t have a list of those parishioners who are unable to join us because of ill health. It’s important to put together a list so that their spiritual needs can be met. Looking Ahead … Martin Luther King Day of Service … On Monday, January 22 at 7:30 p.m., Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers will be speaking on “Building a Civilization of Love: A Catholic Response to Racism” at the Driscoll Auditorium, Holy Cross College. In lieu of registration cost, please bring nonperishable items for the St. Augustine Soup Kitchen. On Tuesday, January 23 at 6:30 p.m. the Parish Finance Council will meet. Parish Clean-Up Day … On Saturday, January 27 (9:00 a.m.) we’ll be cleaning, tossing, and organizing every room inside and outside the parish. A dumpster will be delivered the day before and the plan is to pack it with all the stuff that has been accumulated over the years and is now taking up precious space. The goal is to create room for meetings, necessary storage, and a welcoming environment for meetings, parish events, and visitors. PLEASE mark your calendars and show up for as much time as you can give that day. The more hands we have the faster the cleaning will go! Mardi Gras … On Tuesday, February 13 the Tolton Ambassadors of Indiana will host the 22nd annual gathering at St. A’s from 5:30 – 7:30. There is limited in-person seating and tickets can be purchased for $25. The dinner will include authentic New Orleans cuisine (seafood or chicken gumbo, dirty rice, dessert, etc.). There will be music, fellowship, and a silent auction. Tickets can be purchased from a Tolton Ambassador or Annie Tardy ([email protected] / 574-707-1232). Donations can also be made to the “Tolton Ambassadors of Indiana” to support the cause of canonization for Venerable Fr. Tolton. On Wednesday, February 14 we begin the season of Lent with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. We will have a Mass at 8:00 a.m. with the distribution of ashes. St. Augustine, pray for us! Fr. John, C.S.C.