"Pay attention to what I am telling you.” // Luke 9:44

“Here, take a whole pack!” Sister cried over her shoulder, blue and white habit billowing behind her as she went off in search of the trifold Litany of Trust prayer cards. I’d just finished praying the most glorious Holy Hour with the Sisters of Life where the Lord reminded me of something beautiful He had asked of me just a few days before—which I had promptly forgotten.

When vocational doubts or anxieties arise, He instructed my heart to simply pray, Jesus, I trust in You. 

Instead of spinning out or taking things into my own hands, I should turn to Him interiorly, look at Him with faith and love and say, Jesus, I trust in You. 

But only a few days later, as I tried to pray in that sunny adoration chapel, the questions came knocking, followed by the all-too-familiar anxiety. Suddenly, I remembered the grace.

Jesus, I trust in You. 

He had already prescribed a remedy for a moment like this; I just needed to remember to take it.

The Lord has been so generous to me and He also has to you. He leads us by His Word, nourishes us through the Sacraments, consoles us in prayer, and unfolds His will through the events of our daily life. He has already given us everything we need to hear His voice and follow Him. 

The question isn’t, Does God speak? The question is, Are we paying attention? 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus admonishes His disciples to pay attention (see Luke 9:43b-45). When the Lord speaks in the myriad of ways He does, is your heart poised and disposed to listen? Or do you, like me, have a short spiritual memory?

If so, let this be a reminder. Go back to the last thing Jesus said or did and renew your yes to Him today. We won’t always understand what the Lord is doing, but if we tune in with ready hearts, He will always turn our mourning into joy (see Jeremiah 31:13).