Fr. Franco's Letters

The Flame: September/October 2023

Dear Readers of the Flame,

The New Testament gives us a handful of words from the Father. One of those phrases echoes in my mind from last month’s celebration of The Transfiguration of the Lord. It was that message that came out of the bright cloud: This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him. (Matthew 17:5b)

Listen to him. This is the pathway of discipleship. It is what we are to be about: listening to the voice of Jesus Christ and doing what he says.

Earlier this summer I wrote about the spiritual warfare that we all experience in this fallen world. We may want to be a “conscientious objector” and not enter the fray. However, neutrality is not an option. We are on earth. We have a soul. God wants to save it. The devil wants to enslave it. Our choices make the difference. And the path that leads to salvation is clearly spelled out in that simple phrase: Listen to him.

So just how can we listen to Jesus Christ? The answer may be a bit surprising. The voice of the Lord is most clearly heard in the Church. Jesus said to his Apostles, Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me. (Luke 10:16) These words of Jesus are reiterated in a variety of ways in other parts of the gospels. (See Matthew 10:40, John 5:23, 13:20, 15:23). Jesus chose that his voice would be heard through the apostles and their successors through the ages.

Part of our learning to listen to the voice of the Lord means having a docility to the teaching office of the Church. Given the scandals of our age, as well as the incessant voices of our times that imply that the Church is archaic, corrupt and an unreliable source of truth, many have given up on the Church as a reliable guide. More than a shame, this is cooperating with the devil’s plan to feed our ego, separate us from the Church and lead us away from the fullness of the truth.

Now I do not want to imply that everything that a bishop or the pope has said throughout the ages is affirmed by the Holy Spirit. However, through the ages the Church, guided into the truth by the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-13), has given us a body of teaching that makes clear the voice and teachings of Jesus Christ. This is the backdrop and discernment guide to help clarify hearing the voice of the Lord. The two main documents that can help us listen to Him are the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible. The better acquainted we are with these documents, the easier it will be to distinguish the voice of Jesus from the voices of the world, the flesh and the devil

Listening to the Lord also involves personal prayer. Following Christ is not the same as following the directions for a self-assembled piece of furniture. Listening to Jesus Christ means having a deepening personal relationship with Him. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds, transform our hearts and refashion our wills to genuinely love the good, the true and the beautiful.

Though the objective truth of the faith is made clear in the Catechism and the Bible, the habits of our minds and hearts, as well as the many persuasive voices of our current culture, often drown out the voice of the Lord Jesus. Our past wounds, childhood prejudices and habitual thought patterns that reflect our pride and fears can drown out the voice of the Lord. Knowing the objective truth can help us recognize these roadblocks. Personal prayer and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Penance, can help us overcome them.

At times listening to the voice of the Lord involves talking with someone who can help a person discern the voice of the Lord. Sometimes we have lined up our lives with the objective truth of Jesus Christ, yet we find ourselves discerning between two goods. Talking through these sorts of decisions with a spiritual director can help us hear the voice of the Lord more clearly and make choices with greater confidence May the Lord grant us the grace to always keep the end game in mind. We have an immortal soul. God wants to save it. The devil wants to enslave it. Listening to the voice of Jesus Christ, the Word made Flesh, the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, the One whose truth sets us free (John 8:32) is the path home. Doing what He says will not be easy. However, listening to Him brings joy to our souls, peace to our lives and blessings to those we serve.

In Christ,
Fr. Bob Franco