Unknown Caller

Many telephones contain displays of caller numbers, sometimes depending upon the receiver’s lists, and sometimes the sender’s type of service. Often enough, an incoming message is identified as coming from an “unknown caller.” Of course we might know the person who is calling, but the instrument we are using is unable to recognize or show us the incoming telephone number.

We receive many calls during an ordinary day, not necessarily by phone, but by means of every source of contact that affects our minds and hearts. Some of these inner movements are communicated to us, or elicited by, persons we know. We are usually more comfortable with, and willing to trust, those with whom we are familiar. But we also encounter personal requests and unsolicited information from persons we either hardly know, or with whom we have no previous relationship. With “unknown callers” we tend to be cautious in our responses, but we necessarily need to decide what response to make or what answer to give, no matter who calls.

When God calls, our internal reception system might not be capable of recognizing who it is that calls. We need not think that our receiving equipment is inferior to someone else’s who readily acknowledges God as caller. But it is normal for us on the receiving end to want to know who calls, and to desire the appropriate contact information. Rather than seeking to obtain a more expensive model of phone with more advanced features, we need only to decide whether or not the effect of the messages within us indicates the presence and activity of God.

We can be certain that God does not wish to block caller identification, but wants us to recognize the source of the call. And recognizing how God speaks to us not only enables us to answer future calls but opens us to the possibility of initiating some personal contacts ourselves.

When God calls, it is frequently to invite us to participate in ministry, in service, in care for others, and for ourselves too. The main identifier of incoming calls from God is some form of love: love of our neighbor, love of our self, love of God. The primary effect in us of such a call is, no matter how challenging, accompanied by a sense that it is “right” for us. Messages from God also contain the identifying characteristics of hope, trust, and love. Whether loud or soft, bold or barely discernible, communications from God are accompanied by the positive effects that the presence of absolute love elicits within us.

All messages from God are local calls, not long-distance. God is present where we are. The ring tone on calls from God are a bit different from others, not by reason of having some exotic combination of sounds for our ears, but by causing a resonance within us that encourages, supports, and brings peace to mind and heart together.

Even if we have not provided any preconditions of thought or action, God can, at any time, fill us with a sense that we are loved and that everything will work out for the best, thereby revealing the unknown caller. 

Randy Roche, SJ

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