(I thought I was giving the homily at the school Mass this morning. Turns out the school Mass is tomorrow—but the reflection is still worth sharing. It is a message for every age.)
I want to tell you about three really good listeners.
A boy named Samuel.
A grown‑up named Jesus.
And an elephant named Horton.
Yes—an elephant. Stay with me.
Horton is a character in one of my favorite childhood stories, Horton Hears a Who. In that story, Horton the elephant is splashing around when he hears a tiny voice coming from a speck of dust. Nobody else hears it. Everyone thinks he’s imagining things.
But Horton listens anyway.
He leans in.
He pays attention.
He protects that tiny voice because he knows it matters.
It’s a story about justice, about recognizing the dignity of every person, and about respecting life. Horton says something we should all remember:
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
The Who on that speck were tiny, and their voices were quiet. But Horton listened.
As I got older, I realized how true that is in real life. Sometimes we have to listen—really listen—so we can hear the quiet voices, the whispers, the people who want to be heard.
Now our second listener—Samuel.
Samuel was a child. One night he hears a voice calling his name: “Samuel.”
He runs to his teacher, Eli. “Here I am! You called me!”
But Eli says, “I didn’t call you.”
It happens again. And again.
Finally Eli understands: maybe God is calling Samuel.
So he tells him, “If you hear the voice again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, I’m listening.’”
Samuel does.
And that moment changes his whole life.
Horton listened to a tiny voice.
Samuel listened to God’s voice.
And now our third listener—Jesus.
In the Gospel, Jesus hears that someone is sick. He listens. He goes to her house, takes her hand, helps her up, and she is healed.
Then the whole town comes—people who are hurting, scared, lonely, or sick.
And Jesus listens to every single one.
But after all that helping, Jesus does something surprising.
He gets up early—before the sun—and goes somewhere quiet to pray.
Because even Jesus needed time to listen for the Father’s voice in the middle of all the noise.
So what do Horton, Samuel, and Jesus teach us?
Listening takes practice.
Some voices are quiet.
And we are never too young—or too old—to listen for what is good.
Take a moment with me.
Sit up straight.
Take a slow breath in… and out.
In the quiet, think of one small voice you might hear today:
Someone who needs a friend.
Someone who needs kindness.
Or maybe that little voice inside you saying, “Do the right thing.”
That quiet voice matters.
And when you hear it, you can say what Samuel said:
“Speak, Lord, I’m listening.”
Or simply: “I’m ready to help.”
Because like Horton, like Samuel, like Jesus, we can make a difference by listening—really listening—to the voices others might miss.
Maybe today a small voice will call you to do something good, something kind, something brave.
And you’ll be ready to say, “Here I am.”
Amen.
Prayer for Listening Hearts
Loving God,
You speak in quiet ways.
You speak through small voices.
You speak in the moments we almost miss.
Open our hearts today.
Help us listen with patience and kindness.
Help us notice the people who need care,
the ones who are hurting,
the ones who feel unseen.
Give us the courage to say,
“Here I am.”
Guide our steps,
steady our hearts,
and let our listening become an act of love.
Amen.
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