Editorial

By Lucinda Landau

What is it like to hear the voice of God? Have you ever heard it?
We often puzzle over this issue. How can we be sure that we, mere humans, actually hear the voice of God? Archdeacon John McMulkin once described the 'voice' we hear upon answered prayer as the second part of hearing - while there is no person present to speak words out loud, the effect registers inwardly in our brain as thought. Our minds understand that we have been spoken to.

There are other ways to perceive the presence of the Divine in our lives. It can come from participation in a moving liturgy, sharing a life story with someone who is in distress, or simply watching a beautiful sunset.Something takes place that is out of the ordinary and we are forever changed by an inner realization. We, as faithful people, can hear the voice of God and feel loved.

In Israel, twenty-three years ago, I wandered the streets of Old Jerusalem as a pilgrim. My husband and I walked the Via Dolorosa behind a tour group who were following the Stations of the Cross. Somewhere near the 12th station, we were instinctively led off the designated path and we took a turn away from the tour group. Another pilgrim, a tall, handsome young man from Sweden split off with us as well. We weren't sure where we were going, but we followed our inner guidance until we unexpectedly arrived at hidden courtyard with a beautiful enclosed garden.

The three of us walked into the garden and stood dumbfounded. We were filled with the Spirit of Christ and could not speak. We stood on sacred ground.

This spot was not marked as one of the Stations of the Cross, but we knew we were in a holy place. All of our inner yearnings to immerse ourselves in Christ's journey of pain and suffering were me