I wrote this song while I was listening to Fr Mike Schmitz’s ‘Bible in a Year’ podcast (I am very behind!). It was when I was reminded of the Shema prayer and the story of Moses that I came up with the lyrics. There was also a video by Catholic Truth that I found so helpful for me and for the song. It was about the importance of praying by sitting in silence and opening myself up to God. The first line of the Shema prayer calls Israel to listen to God, which is the first vocation everyone is called to do: to be open to God and be in a good relationship with him. I also found the story of Moses insightful in showing different aspects of vocational discernment. The first verse deals with Moses’ mother having to make a difficult but godly decision to save her son; the second verse deals with Moses’ changes from boy to royal to outcast to shepherd to God’s call for him – a quiet man – to be a leader; the final section is based on the Shema prayer, in which Moses tells Israel to listen to God. In these instances, Moses’ mother, Moses, and Israel all learnt their calling by being open to God’s will of desire. Their listening to God was both the way to their vocation and their vocation, as it is ours.