Life is full of choices which everyone makes now and then as time
goes on; and these choices need to be scrutinized. Among all the available
choices in the world, one needs to choose the best (a morally-based choice). We
may ask ourselves, how do we determine good choices from bad ones? J-P Sartre,
a French Existentialist, reminds us to be mindful of our choices since by
making a choice, we choose for others too. This calls for discernment. This
attribute is necessary and inevitable. In everyday activities, discernment is
required in order to move on; both in Spiritual and worldly aspects.
In the book of Samuel, we
get to see the young man, Samuel, in a position to answer God’s call. The young
Samuel, under the guidance of Eli, hears God’s voice and listened to it. The
choice of listening helped Samuel to receive the message God intended to reach
him and other people, as well as you and me today. Listening is quite different
from hearing. Literally, hearing can be said to be involuntary but listening is
strictly a voluntary choice one makes. We can be ‘Samuel’ of today to be keen
and listen to God’s message; God’s call and under the guidance of vast moral
instructions, we can be God’s good messengers.
Openness and readiness to
God’s invitation and message is another attribute. Listening to God’s
invitation requires the person’s openness and readiness to receive and work
upon it. Just like Samuel, God called him and gave him the message but it was
upon his openness and readiness to accept the call and to work upon it. It is
an invitation to all of us to be always ready and open to receive God’s call
and message.
