Tiny Whispering Sound

By Fr. Tom Zelinski, OFM Cap.

In the first reading for the 19th Sunday, Series A, we hear of that famous image of the presence of God in the tiny whispering sound. God was not in the fire, the wind, or the earthquake. Of course sometimes in the Bible, the presence of God is described as being present in mighty, powerful events (1 Kings 19:9-13).

The tiny whispering sound may be closer to our experience. This is a favorite passage for people making retreats. We are invited to quiet down, on retreat or on ordinary days, to pay attention to our reality as reflected in small things.

To help with this, I like to suggest that people pause to appreciate small things around them, in their environment, in nature. One of my favorite small things this summer has been hummingbirds. We also had a pair of house finches lay two sets of eggs in a nest on our window ledge. We know of turtles laying eggs in a flower bed. Recently there have been fawns appearing with their mothers. Yes, these things happen every year, but we are invited to appreciate them every year and see them as reflecting the life of God which we all share.

We are the human and conscious part of creation, and we can appreciate and praise God for these “ordinary miracles.” Then we can take that deeper into appreciation of the life of God within ourselves and the people around us.

The tiny whispering presence of God is all around us, and it is good for us to turn down our noise and pay attention.