Wednesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Listening can be difficult at times. In my house, there is a great deal of selective listening, especially by the men in my house. My wife will tell us where we are to find something in the pantry, or something in the laundry and when we begin to look, we often forget what she said. We go into the room where that object should be found, and look around. Of course, we can’t find the item and report back, "It is not there." Immediately, my wife goes and finds it exactly where she said it would be located. Clearly I listened halfheartedly.
If it is true that we have trouble hearing our own family members that we can see and hear, then might it be true that God is also hard to hear? Listening demands that we are attuned to the messenger. At home this could mean looking the person who is speaking, straight in their eyes and quieting our own thoughts so that we are open to what is being said. So too in prayer we must quiet our thoughts to the point that we our open God's message. This means we need to listen for what God is saying not what we want God to say. We also must look clearly at the Word as a whole and joined to the teachings of the Church, then we can listen wholeheartedly to the call of Christ.
True listening not only means hearing the commandments, but it means we must be able to teach and then truly live what we believe. It is then that others will be able to encounter Christ through us. As they witness our lives, they will learn the commandments by the way we live. We all have something to work on. I believe that when we become obedient and truly submit to God's will, then we will be blessed. Consider how the Lord is challenging you to intentionally listen and to better live what you believe.
Lord,
You call us to obey your commandments and to live what believe. Even when we sometimes fail, help us to fully listen and understand the ways you are challenging us so that we may lead others to Christ. Amen!
- Michael Montgomery