When I was a young man, I took great consolation in the Prophecy of Joel, repeated by the Apostle Peter: “… your young men shall see visions.”

Now that I am an old man, I find similar comfort in the adjoining verse of Joel and Peter: “… your old men shall dream dreams.”

There is a difference between visions and dreams, but they both are used by God to communicate to human beings. In scripture, we hear of over 30 dreams and several visions. One such example is in today’s first reading, the inaugural call of the boy Samuel.

It took three times until the old man Eli understood that Samuel was being summoned by the Lord. At the fourth call, Samuel listened.

The old man had been around for a while. But it had been a long time since the Lord had spoken directly with anyone in Israel. Samuel was “not familiar with the Lord” and did not know Him even when he clearly heard His voice.

In times of crisis or great national emergency, people have an inclination to seek God. Ordinarily, if God is thought of at all, it is infrequently. We place a lot of barriers between ourselves and God.

If Joseph, husband of Mary, had not paid attention to his dreams, he, his wife, and the child Jesus, would have been killed.

If the Magi had not paid attention to their dreams, they would have been killed.

If Pilate had paid attention to his wife’s dream, he would have had nothing to do with his prisoner Jesus.

Subsequent history would have been drastically different.

Everyone dreams, but not every dream is understood. Some people, on the other hand, delude themselves into thinking God is telling them to do things. In some peoples’ minds God has said to take over federal property in the high desert of Oregon. That illusion will probably not end well.

Dreams must be tested. It is dangerous to ignore them and even more dangerous to misinterpret them.

In Biblical times, there was no distinction between the sacred and the secular. All of reality echoes the glory of God. Removing the barriers of egoism, self-importance, and arrogance will give us a clearer vision of that glory.

It’s an especially challenging time we live in because “a revelation of the Lord [is] uncommon and vision is infrequent.” But listen anyway.

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