1 Cor 2:10-16 / Lk 4:31-37
One of the most painful and widespread phenomena in our culture, especially in the big cities, is loneliness. The desperate desire to connect shows itself in all sorts of ways: dating services, personal advertisements in newspapers and magazines, and the like. And many folks just languish in silent, solitary agony behind locked doors.
We can respond to that phenomenon with all sorts of recommendations and remedies, but St. Paul today reminds us of what has to be the real starting point for us all, namely, the recognition that the Holy Spirit of God dwells at the very core of our being, and speaks to us continuously about the things that truly matter.
Learning to listen to the Spirit is our task. It means setting aside all sorts of stuff that regularly fills our heads and our hearts, everything from judgments and prejudices to all sorts of trivialities.
A heart that hasn’t learned to listen to the Spirit will always be alone, no matter how many people are around. But the heart that knows the Spirit well and has learned the habit of listening will never walk alone. That’s the choice that Paul saw so clearly, and it’s the choice that each of us must make.
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