A God Who Speaks Directly to Us

Homily for Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

One of the more dramatic aspects of the story that we hear from the Book of Genesis this morning is that God speaks directly to Adam and Eve. However, after they eat of the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they are expelled from the garden. Consequently, they are also expelled from the presence of God. For most of the Hebrew Scriptures, God no longer speaks directly but uses an intermediary. The prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures step into this role.

Jesus reverses both of these consequences through his obedience to the will of God. Through his death and resurrection, he makes it possible for us to enter the garden where God lives. He literally grants us access to life with God forever.

Jesus also reverses the fact that God no longer speaks directly to us. After God poured out the Holy Spirit upon us, it is now possible to speak to God and for God to speak to us. The promptings of the Holy Spirit are direct words from God to believers. Jesus, after he ascends to his Father, joins with the Father in sending the Holy Spirit among us. God still uses intermediaries to speak to us, but God also speaks directly to us as we pray and as we listen to God’s Word. We also have the words of Jesus to guide us as we make our way through the pilgrimage of life.

As we receive the Eucharist this morning, may our hearts be open to the words that God would speak to us. Open our ears, Lord, as well as our hearts this morning.