Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter
I’ve always thought of myself as a good listener but when I stop and think about it, I have to admit there are times during conversations or meetings, or even during church services, I find my mind has wandered. Maybe I presume to know already what I will hear or I am thinking about something else, in truth it means I’m not ‘actively’ listening. This day’s Scriptures perfectly demonstrate the importance of being open and engaged and actively listening. This way of listening is a gift and an art. There is nothing passive about it. Active listening requires work, attention, and perseverance.
In the reading from Acts, Paul and his companions are traveling through Macedonia and outside the city they encounter a group of women, including Lydia (‘a worshiper of God’). While they are speaking with the women, it says, “Lydia listened and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying.” I have no doubt that Paul was pretty good at getting people to listen. When he was finished, Lydia and her household, having deeply listened to Paul’s message, were all baptized in Christ. The reading from the Gospel of John shows that listening (in this case the disciples listening to their Master) is more of an ongoing process than an event. The disciples have been with Jesus for three years. When Jesus begins to speak of the world’s hatred of them and sending ‘The Advocate’ to prevent them from falling away, they listen but do not comprehend fully what Jesus is saying to them; this will take more time, more attention and more deep listening. It is a perfect example that highlights the importance of developing the deep listening, the active listening required for an ever deepening relationship with others...whether it be our loved ones or our God.
When we actively listen for God and perceive the whisper or breath of the Spirit the experience is not of ourselves…we know it is something Other than us. The faith and certitude and transformation are so far beyond our own capacity that we just know it can only be the Spirit of God. We realize that any insight, knowledge, or understanding granted is pure gift, pure grace and that the only thing we did was to seek and actively listen. It is God who opens our hearts and minds, infusing us with God’s light and love. It is the Spirit who transforms us into disciples and makes it possible for us to carry out the mission Jesus gives us. And it all begins with our active listening; St. Benedict calls this ‘listening with the ear of your heart.’
Today, let us pray that God will reveal how to listen in a more active way. May God grant us the grace to fully attend each opportunity to listen. May we allow the Advocate to deepen our capacity of mind and heart that we may actively listen to the Holy Immortal One who speaks at every moment.
--Gail Lyman