Seeds of Hope: Talks and Homilies by Fr. Mike Muhr

In the final episode of this series, you’ll hear of the silences of God in the New Testament and three suggestions on how to walk with others when they encounter the mystery of God’s silence.


Book Reference
When God is Silent
By Barbara Brown Taylor

In this episode you’ll hear of several great journey stories and how each year with Advent we begin the greatest journey anew with Jesus and and his Church.

2nd Sunday of Advent Readings
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120521.cfm

“I want to be closer to God and yet I’m afraid about what may happen if I get too close”  Have you ever thought this? Could this be why God seems silent at times in your life?  In this episode you’ll hear about the people of Israel’s fears and Abraham’s unimaginable challenge of trust.

Exodus 20:18-21

Genesis 22:1-14

Book Reference
When God Is Silent
By Barbara Brown Taylor

Aren’t the people you know who are most peaceful and joyful in life also people of gratitude? In this episode find out why and how to snap out of an ungrateful perspective. 


Thanksgiving Readings
https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

The Danish theologian and philosopher Soren Kierkegaard  wrote a story about a king who falls in love with a lowly maiden. The story reflects God’s desire for our love. In this episode you’ll hear about Christ our King and how he calls us to be worthy of his kingdom.

Sunday readings
https://www.google.com/amp/s/bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112121.cfm%3famp

What does the Bible say about the silences of God? In this episode you’ll hear about how God was very present to the Israelites at the time of Moses, and how God’s voice seemed to fade after that. What can we learn from this?

Book References 

When God Is Silent
By Barbara Brown Taylor

The Disappearance of God - A Divine Mystery
By Richard Elliott Friedman

Have you ever wondered why God allows bad things to happen in nature and among people? In this episode you’ll hear a profound perspective on this mystery.

Sunday readings
https://www.google.com/amp/s/bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111421.cfm%3famp

In this episode we’ll draw on the wisdom of St. Ignatius of Loyola to consider times when God’s silence may be profoundly good for us.


Book References

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola

The Discernment of Spirits 
by Fr. Timothy M. Gallagher, OMV

Listen to this reflection  given at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Clearwater, Florida at an outdoor Mass on Nov. 2, 2021.

From deep inside us we’re drawn together at moments of celebration and tragedy. We walk together remembering loved ones whose connection is treasured. Hear how the Book of Wisdom offers a bold proclamation of life after death. Be uplifted by St. Paul’s courageous witness and Jesus’s image of a grain of wheat transformed.

Readings
Wisdom 3:1-9
2 Cor 4:14 - 5:1
John 12:23 - 28

Note - The poem referred to in the homily is “Spring and Fall” by Gerard Manly Hopkins.
The last line was misquoted in the audio. 
Here is the correct version - 
“It ís the blight man was born for, 
It is Margaret you mourn for.”

Why does God sometimes seem silent? Have you ever wondered about this? In this five-part series you’ll hear about blocks to hearing God, and times when the silence of God may benefit your spiritual  growth. You’ll hear about the silence of God in the Bible, and what Jesus teaches us about this mystery.