Coming to Arkansas

How to discern God’s will without distractions

09/10/2024

Lk 6:12-19 Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.

Have you heard the story of how Coach John Calipari decided to leave Kentucky and come to Arkansas? Calipari actually talked to a Catholic priest and asked his advice on what to do. He shared at a news conference: “He told me, go for an hour walk and have in your mind you are the Arkansas coach. And then on the way back, that you are the Kentucky coach. And you will see what moves your heart and what you want to do.”

Calipari continued: “I did that. And to be honest, when I thought about coming here and building this program and making it something special, it got me excited." And now every Razorback fan is feeling excited to see what Calipari can do with the future of the basketball program.

That wise priest was helping Coach Calipari do something called “discernment.” That is, trying to figure out God’s will for our life even more than our own will. And that priest knew that God speaks to us in the depths of our hearts, if only we are quiet long enough to listen and hear his voice. Why? Well because distractions are the great enemy of discernment.

The Catechism says essentially the same thing: “His conscience is man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths” (no. 1776). Coach Calipari walked quietly for two hours listening to his heart, while he was alone with God, and he could hear his voice.

In the gospel today Jesus also enters deeply into discernment to hear his Father’s voice before a big decision. We read in Lk 6:12, “Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.” And what did God the Father tell his Son? Luke continues: “When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve.”

Like Coach Calipari, Jesus also had to choose a team. It is conceivable that Jesus might have chosen another team of more talented recruits: better educated men, more influential in society, renowned leaders, kind of like the Kentucky basketball team! But instead, Jesus chose a team of fishermen, tax-collectors, zealots, and basically nobodies, kind of like the Arkansas basketball team! But notice it was at night, when distractions are asleep, that Jesus heard the Father’s voice loud and clear, to come to Arkansas. Distractions are the great enemy of discernment.

Sooner or later we all have big decisions to make. Maybe it is not a D-1 basketball coaching choice, or selecting the apostles to launch the Catholic Church. For us, it may be the choice of a vocation, like priesthood or whom to marry. It may be choosing a career path and how best to make a difference in the world.

We may have to decide if it’s the right time to retire, and begin a new season of our life. In such times seek some silence and solitude to listen to God’s voice echoing in the depths of your heart. Go for a two-hour walk like Coach Calipari, or spend the night in prayer like Jesus. Remember, though, distractions are the great enemy of discernment.

But beyond the big decisions, we should cultivate a spirit of silence and solitude at regular intervals in our day and week. I have mentioned before how I get up at 4:30 to write my morning homilies (like this one). At that time no one texts me, or calls me, or emails me, heck, even Apollo is still asleep.

And I can more easily discern (hear) the Holy Spirit speaking to me. Another tremendous time to discard distractions is at Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament. We have a Holy Hour of Adoration here at I.C. on Wednesday morning from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., and on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. And St. Boniface has 24-hour Adoration.

My friends, we live in a highly distracted culture, like Coach Calipari does, and like Jesus did. Most people move from one intense experience to the next like a rock thrown and skipping across the surface of a lake but never sinking down deep. Therefore, we tragically treat distractions not as an enemy but like our closest friend. And then discernment becomes impossible, and we don’t come to Arkansas.

Praised be Jesus Christ!