It is 15th January 2020. The readings are from 1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20 and the Gospel from Mark 1:29-39. God always wants to speak to us. Only our disposition and generosity of heart that makes us to listen to Him. If we are filled with the schedules of the daily chores, noises and amusements, we will not hear God speaking. God calls us in the deep silence and peace. If we have the turmoil of emotions roaring within ourselves, we do not hear God calling and speaking to us. Voices around us and within us are so louder and attractive, we tend to have no desire to listen to God. In the first reading, we find a clear episode of God who is taking the initiative and interest in speaking to young Samuel. His response must be ours too. “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Sam.3:10). Prayerful atmospheres are created by us. More we expose and entertain ourselves in contemplative prayer, we hear God speaking to us clearly. God penetrates the deep and dark places of our heart through our prayer. Prayer is an effort of a human soul to tune to the divine frequency available to us. Vocation is a free and generous gift from God for all those who pray. When our personal prayer is reduced, we indulge in business thinking and working for making money. We undermine God given-vocation to sustenance of body forgetting to nourish our souls. The responsorial Psalm intercedes, “Here I am Lord, I come to do your will.” (Ps.39:8,9). The Gospel points out the attitude of Jesus towards prayer even amidst a hectic schedule of the day. “Everybody is looking for you.” (Mk.1:37). Yes, everybody is looking for us too. We seem to forget that God is looking for us too. We cannot work for the Lord, when we have not been with the Lord in person. Visiting the sick, preaching the Good News and doing any amount of good work do not replace our time with God. Prayer cannot be substituted with anything including evangelisation. Charity and evangelisation are absent in the hearts of people who have no time for prayer. Jesus began the day with prayer. “In the morning, long before dawn, Jesus got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.” (Mk. 1:36). A day will never be the same without prayer. Let us not cheat ourselves with so many activities forgetting or giving less importance to prayer. God wants to have a word with us every day. May we avail ourselves to God who desires to speak to us. May you have a good day. God bless you.

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