August 19, 2026

By Father William Muench
NCC columnist

Today, I have decided to remind you, again, of how important it is for us all to be good listeners – to listen well during the reading of Scriptures at Mass and also to listen as part of our time of prayer. I know I have mentioned this to you before. I believe that when we turn in prayer to God, our God comes to us in support and love. I believe he has a message for us – everyone of us. As good pray-ers, we must be aware, we must listen carefully. So, I have been thinking of listening today through my reading of St. Augustine and the story about Elijah that was read to us on a recent Sunday.

A little about St. Augustine: Augustine had such a profound influence on the formation of our Catholic Church. He wrote and taught during the 5th Century. He wrote on theology and also on the life of prayer that is part of Catholic life. He showed us how to live our interior spiritual life as we find God, His life and peace.

In his excellent book, “Confessions,” St. Augustine writes the whole book as a prayer; it is a dialogue between himself and God. In “Confessions,” Augustine writes that in his time of prayer to God that he found God by turning inward. Augustine has so many questions: What is happening in my heart? Where is God calling me? What do I truly love?

In his search for God, Augustine turns deeply into his own heart. And he discovers that God is already there. Augustine leads us to find God in our own heart. So, Augustine calls upon us to be open; he calls upon us to listen carefully for God always has a message for us. Augustine reminds us that prayer demands that we truly find God – the God who is within us – and that we listen carefully to God. Our God is present to us as we pray and at Mass. He has so much to teach us.

And then Elijah: Elijah is a powerful Old Testament prophet. Elijah brought God to his people in joy and peace, a time long before Jesus. However, he suffered; he was persecuted by King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. His very life was threatened. Elijah feels far from God, who he feels is far from him. So, he escapes to the desert – to a mountain cave – hoping to find God in prayer.

In this cave, Elijah has a spiritual experience. He experiences a powerful windstorm, but God is not in the wind. Then there is an earthquake, but God is not in the earthquake. Then there is a mighty fire, but God is not in the fire. Then Elijah experiences a small whispering sound. Elijah realizes that God is here present in this small whisper. Elijah knows that he must now listen carefully, when someone whispers; we know we must stop and listen carefully no matter from whom the whisper comes.

So, I believe that as good prayers we must be good listeners. To recognize God’s word for us, we must listen well. To recognize God’s message, we must listen well. I believe that each time we participate at Mass, Christ’s presence and message should come to us – through the Scriptures, through the Eucharist, through the inspirations of our God. So, we must be such good listeners.

I believe that when we pray, Christ wants to be a part of our prayer. He wants to be with us – every one of us. Our Lord comes to support us, to strengthen us to enliven our faith. Our God loves us, leads us, and I believe that God has a message for us. God loves us so much. So, it is important for us to be good listeners, to listen well to Christ’s powerful whisper. Being a great pray-er means we know how to listen.