Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
I always feel I need to work on improving my listening skills. More often than not, when I look back over my day I nearly always recognize some interaction or conversation where I was not the best listener; if I had been truly listening instead of thinking what I was going to say next, I may have allowed an extra measure of grace or acceptance to transpire. I find this is also true with Scripture. It can be tempting to be less than fully present when reading or hearing the Word proclaimed, particularly with very familiar passages. It slips my mind that the ‘Living Word’ can only come alive for me when I truly listen. Basically, I just need to get out of the way and focus on attending to precisely what is placed before me at a given moment.
In today's passage from Acts, we read about Saint Paul’s meeting with a woman named Lydia from Thyatira. She is described as a ‘worshipper’ of God and her meeting with Paul resulted in her conversion and that of her household. Although there are no specifics of what Paul said to her, the one thing we are told is that Lydia “listened and the Lord opened her heart to what Paul was saying.” This action by God was possible because Lydia was willing to simply listen...and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Being no stranger to God, Lydia must surely had long held beliefs about God. Still, her willingness to truly listen and attend to what Paul shared with her demonstrates great humility and open mindedness. With this disposition, the Holy Spirit, the Advocate whom Jesus speaks of in today's Gospel, was able to work freely in Lydia and her household.
And so it is for us. Our part involves humbly listening. In each one of us, as for Lydia, God will do the rest. The next time we are in the presence of the Word, either proclaimed or in private prayer, may we set aside all but our desire to deeply listen to what God is saying to us in that moment...our undivided attention is vital to the work of the Advocate. This day, may we truly listen and may God open our hearts a bit more and increase our capacity receive God’s Holy Spirit.
---Gail Lyman