Learning to be Quick to Listen

The same voice that thundered into the void to command light into existence is the same voice that sustains our very breath today. It is a paradox of divine proportions : God possesses a voice of immeasurable power, capable of shattering cedars and shaking deserts, yet He exercises a profound, gentlemanly restraint. As St. John of the Cross beautifully observed, "The Father spoke one word , which was His Son, and this word He speaks always in eternal silence, and in silence must it be heard by the soul." God does not chatter or speak simply to fill the air; His words are calculated and heavy with purpose. He chooses not to coerce us through celestial thunder or terrifying displays of might, but instead invites us into a relationship through a "still, small voice" that respects our freedom and woos our hearts toward the truth. Throughout history, God has tailored His communication to meet us where we are. To the individual soul—like St. Teresa of Avila in her ecstati...

The lives of great leaders and celebrities are often defined by their final moments, but for the saints, death is simply the beginning of a new chapter of work from heaven. This is especially clear in the case of stigmatists , whose bodies continue to exhibit miraculous wonders long after their death. These wonders, known as bodily incorruptibility , serve as a testament to God's continued work through His saints. We can see this divine action in the lives of St. Clare of Montefalco , St. Rita of Cascia , and St. Teresa of Avila , all of whom continue to intercede on behalf of the faithful from their place in eternal life. St. Clare of Montefalco, who died in 1308, provides a particularly powerful example. For her canonization, the Catholic Church was presented with 35 proposed miracles, from which six were chosen as " beyond all doubt ." The most remarkable of these was the discovery of Jesus' passion imprinted on her heart during an autopsy. A cross, a scourge, ...