"Mary said: "Zachariah asked for a tablet and wrote, 'John is his name,'' and all were amazed."

Luke 1:63

Obedience means "to listen."" If you have been in on these emails for about the decade I have been writing them or listening to my homilies/talks, you have probably know I have hit this point before. Then why, Fr. John, are you repeating yourself? Because listening is essential. It is what lets heaven get to you so heaven can get you to heaven. It allows the Kingdom of God to come as you hear what you are endowed with and how to live out that endowment. When we listen to (obey) God, AMAZING happens!

I had lunch with a man who listened to God. As a teacher in the public school system, he was just trying to follow God's lead in his life. His desire was to be spiritually driven and build the Kingdom of God by obeying his will. While teaching he saw a great need of students of color to have adult mentors in order to get a good education and fulfill their potential in life. He describes America as not having a youth problem but an adult problem. There is a huge lack of stable, God-fearing adults to lead our children to become the same. Inspired by God to do something about this problem, he started a non-profit organization that now helps countless youths of color to become educated adults who play their out their part of God's plan in this world. How wonderful! When we listen to (obey) God, AMAZING happens!

Zachariah, John the Baptist's father, is shown as obeying the Lord after his initial disobedience. At first he did not accept the Lord's plan for his son but then he became obedient to it. His obedience is obvious because he verifies with his wife, Elizabeth, that their son's name is to be John. He does this by writing on the tablet because God had silenced his voice for not initially accepting his plan. Zachariah shows he is obeying God not only by naming his son John but even more so by choosing a name that was not found among any relatives. In this he is showing that he is following God even before the strong familial traditions of their time. Because of this obedience, we see how the people became amazed. When we listen to (obey) God, AMAZING happens!

When we listen to (obey) God, AMAZING happens!

How have you been obedient to God and, through that obedience, what amazing things have happened?

Amazing is the only thing God can do!

If amazing is not happening in you, how much is God happening in you?

+Fr. John

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