“To ‘listen to God,’ then, is not merely to hear God. It also requires that we pay attention to God’s words and ‘treasure all these things and ponder them in our heart’ (cf. Luke 2:19, 51). Moreover, God’s call does not always come to us in words; indeed, this would be the exception, rather than the rule. God speaks to us especially through events.”

Okumura, Augustine Ichiro. Awakening to Prayer. Translated by Theresa Kazue Hiraki and Albert Masaru Yamato. Washington, DC: ICS Publications, Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1994, p. 36.