As someone who answers a phone many times a day, I recognize certain voices
that become recognizable; I would say even unforgettable. When I do meet the
people, I know them immediately by their voice. It always seems to surprise them
when I say their name before they introduce themselves. There is something
special in certain voices; they convey joy, happiness, and love. These are the
voices we remember fondly and long to hear again. I was thinking about this fact
when I read today’s gospel. Mary, in all her grief, recognized her name and the
one speaking it. The voice of her beloved friend, teacher, and savior. I can only
imagine the overwhelming joy she must have felt in hearing Jesus speak her
name!
To recognize a voice, we must take the time to listen. Listening these days has
become a lost art. With social media’s ten second sound bites and so many
texting, voices get lost in the crowd. We must become active listeners. The only
way to do this is to be quiet. We need to sit quietly with Jesus in prayer. There in
that quiet prayer, in the silence of our hearts, we will hear Jesus the loudest. Then
we will learn to recognize him in the noise of the world. We will hear Jesus in the
voice of the poor begging for food, in the voice of the immigrant calling out for
help, in the voice of the abused crying out for love. Jesus’ voice is in all of us. We
just need to listen, then we will be filled with joy when we hear Jesus speak to us.
We will experience even more joy when we respond to his calling our name!