Speak, Lord, Your Servant is Listening

Voice over by Carol San San Lwin

1Sam 3:1-10.19-20, Psalm: 39, Mk 1:29-39

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Our lives are often filled with a multitude of voices—the demands of work, the needs of family, the endless chatter of the world. In the midst of this noise, a quiet but persistent question remains: is there a Voice that speaks not to our ears, but to our souls? The Scriptures today assure us that there is. They reveal a God who calls us by name in the quiet, and a Savior whose mission of mercy flows directly from His communion with the Father.

The calling of the young Samuel is one of the most tender scenes in the Bible. We are told that “a revelation of the Lord was uncommon and vision infrequent” in those days. Spiritual silence seemed to hang over the land. Yet, in the stillness of the night, God’s voice breaks through. Samuel, still unfamiliar with the Lord, mistakes it for the voice of Eli. It takes the wisdom of the old priest to discern the truth: “If you are called, reply, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” When Samuel finally offers this humble, open-hearted response, God entrusts him with a prophetic word. Samuel’s entire life and mission begin with this act of listening.

This pattern of listening and responding finds its perfect fulfillment in Jesus. In the Gospel, we see a whirlwind of merciful activity: He heals Peter’s mother-in-law, who immediately rises to serve; He tends to crowds of the sick and possessed who gather at the door. Yet, long before dawn, while the world still sleeps, Jesus withdraws to a deserted place to pray. In that solitary communion with the Father, He listens. When His disciples find Him and say, “Everyone is looking for you,” Jesus does not return to the scene of His previous success. Instead, having listened in prayer, He declares a new direction: “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” His public mission is directed by His private prayer.

Here is the model for the Christian life. Before we can effectively speak for God, we must learn to listen to God. Before we can pour ourselves out in service, we must be filled in prayer. Like Samuel, we must cultivate the disposition: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Like Jesus, we must regularly withdraw from the urgent demands to attend to the one thing necessary—our relationship with the Father.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta famously expressed this truth: “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” This is the foundation of all authentic mission.

For us, the application is clear. We are all called to a mission—in our families, our workplaces, our community. But we cannot give what we do not have. If we are feeling weary, scattered, or ineffective, perhaps we have neglected the deserted place of prayer. We have been answering many voices, but have we listened for the One Voice?

Let this be a comfort: the same God who called Samuel in the silence of Shiloh calls you. The same Savior who drew strength from the Father’s presence invites you to do the same. Your mission will find its proper direction and its sustaining power not in frantic activity, but in attentive prayer.

May we have the courage to silence the noise, to heed the wisdom of Eli, and to respond with Samuel’s trusting heart. For it is in listening that we discover our purpose, and it is from prayer that we receive the strength to rise and serve. Amen.

May God bless you all!