Day 24: Still, Small Voice

Hi, I'm Father Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, and this is the Rosary in a Year podcast where through prayer and meditation, the rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary and becomes a source of grace for the whole world. The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension.
This is day 24. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a Year, visit ascensionpress.com forward slash rosary in a year or text R-I-Y to 33777.
You'll get an outline of how we're going to pray each month. It's a great way to track your progress.
The best place to listen to the podcast is in the Ascension app. There are special features built just for this podcast and also recordings of the full rosary with myself and other friars.
I encourage you to pick up a copy of the Rosary in a Year prayer guide, a book published by Ascension that was designed to complement this podcast. You'll find all the daily readings from scripture, same reflections and beautiful full page images of the sacred arts we'll be reflecting on.
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, to help give us a lens by which we can approach the statement from the Creed, from the Apostles' Creed, why don't you journey with me to 1 Kings. This will be reading from 1 Kings chapter 19, verse 11 and following.
It's a popular one. This is God speaking.
And he said,

go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by,

and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord.

But the Lord was not in the wind. I'm sure you've heard this before, but let's just take

a moment to take it in anew. The Lord was not in the great wind.
He was not in the earthquake. He was not in the fire.
He chose to be and he came in the still small voice. And I'm convinced as we reflect upon the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation history and the work of the Holy Spirit today, bringing about our own salvation, He loves to come in the still, small voice.
he loves to come in a way that is simple

and small

off small voice. He loves to come in a way that is simple and small, often hidden and silent.
This is the context again and again in which the Holy Spirit chooses to do his, what I would say, his greatest works and to reveal his glory.

Let's go back to the incarnation. Again, the words from the Apostle Creed today are,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. What was the context

of the Annunciation and the incarnation? There's a virgin in small town Nazareth,

Thank you. What was the context of the Annunciation and the Incarnation? There's a virgin in small town Nazareth.

And there's this intimate conversation between the angel Gabriel and the Blessed Mother.

Our Lady says yes.

The Holy Spirit overshadows her.

And the Incarnation happens. The word becomes flesh and dwells among us.
The eternal word, through whom all things were made, becomes a baby in the womb of the virgin mother in a way which was so simple, almost certainly silent, imperceptible to the senses of those around. You could say as a still small voice, the Father spoke, the Spirit comes, and the Word becomes flesh.

And the glory of God is revealed.

God could be in the earthquake, God could be in the great wind, God could be in the fire.

But the Spirit again and again comes and reveals His glory in the silent, in the hidden, in the small, in the simple. Let's take a look at this in our own lives.
What was the most powerful work of the Holy Spirit, the most powerful work of God in your life. For all of us, the most

powerful work in our life, for all the baptized at least, was our baptism. And look how simple it is.
Look how small it is. Look how quiet it is.
The water is poured and these simple words are spoken, I baptize you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And the most holy trinity comes to dwell within us.
Let's take a look at the Holy Mass where transubstantiation takes place, which has the form of bread and wine becomes the body, blood, its own div jesus how does it happen the priest with hands extended says you are indeed holy oh lord the fount of all holiness make holy therefore these gifts we pray by sending down your spirit upon them like the dewfall so that they may become for us the body and blood of our lord jesus christ the time he was betrayed he entered willingly into his passion he took Simple, ordinary words. to the senses that it's imperceptible what is happening, what is changed to the substance of the bread and the wine.
And yet they are no longer the bread and wine, but God is truly present. Again, body, blood, soul, and divinity.
And the last example for today, unfortunately, we've maybe had the experience of sinning and even sinning mortally and no longer being in a state of grace. And we go to confession.
We confess our sins to a simple priest in a way that is hidden. And the priest says these words, I absolve you from your sins in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit and through the power of the holy spirit our sins are forgiven that didn't count so you know nice try but see see there's this consistent way in which God has worked and continues to work.

I do think it's beautiful.

And I think it is an invitation to intimacy and to gratitude and to a greater reverence

for the ordinary, for the daily.

I think it can lead us to a greater place of trust and confidence and gratitude

for the imperceptible work that the Holy Spirit continues to do within us that even we can't really see or hear, but that he is at work. So the invitation day is this.
Surely some of the listeners here have been mothers and like the blessed mother have been pregnant.

And surely you would sort of place your hand

on your belly on the growing child in your womb

and talk to the child.

Speak your love to the child.

Now this is analogous, I understand.

But by our baptism, as we persevere in a state of grace, God dwells within us in a way which is hidden and silent and imperceptible. As Mary would have done to Jesus in her womb, let us do to the Holy Spirit in our soul.
And just have a moment of gratitude for this powerful work he does in the hidden.

Let us take a moment and enter into this intimacy.

Let us love him.

Let us be loved by him.

Let us again grow in trust for that which he sees

that our senses cannot perceive.

And let us be reminded of our great dignity, that though in the eyes of the world we are small and insignificant, God has freely willed to reveal his glory by taking up hidden residence in our souls. Let us pray.
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now,

and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

All right, friends, thank you for joining me

and praying with me again today.

I look forward to continuing the journey with you tomorrow.

Poco a poco, friends.

All right.