Just Listen

27/1/2021

A Reflection on the Psalm for January 31st, 2021:
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalm 95

R. O that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts!

O come, let us sing to the Lord. Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

R. O that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts!

O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

R. O that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts!

O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

R. O that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your hearts!

Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

Listen to me!?!

How many times have you said that to someone?

How many times have you said that to God?

Me? Countless times! And I’m willing to bet you have too. When I find myself saying this to God, I’m really and truly the one who needs to listen. Because clearly I’m not hearing God. Or I may be hearing Him but I just don’t like what I’m hearing. And so, like a 4 year old, I stick my fingers in my ears, and stop listening. Funny enough though, in most group settings when given the option, I default to listening rather than talking. It drives some people crazy — colleagues, former bosses (Possibly current bosses!), friends, family, new people I meet. My lack of talking can come across as being aloof or indifferent, or even that I’m not really listening at all. But I am.

What I’m listening to right now, like many people, is The Bible in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz. I have always had a love of words and The Word. Hearing the whole Bible proclaimed and broken open for me for a few minutes everyday? Count me in! Fr. Mike has great experience and wisdom to share. I was blessed to meet him a few years ago and he’s exactly the same in person. Easy to talk to. Easy to listen to. And thus, it’s easy to open my heart to whatever the Lord has to say to me through Fr. Mike’s ministry.

But not every person I meet is easy to listen to. People call my office to complain about something their pastor or the bishop has said or done. Others corner me at a gathering or meeting and recite a laundry list of everything wrong with our Church that I have to fix. Those folks — they’re not that easy to listen to. Enough of those conversations, and my heart can close off and harden pretty quickly — but that’s not fair of me. God’s voice is just as much in the disgruntled person’s voice as it is in Fr. Mike’s voice. God speaks through each of us and is present to us in the voices of all His creations. In return, like the psalmist writes, we are invited to raise our voices in praise, thanksgiving, and worship of the One who gives us voice. I need to not only listen to hear, but I need to listen to learn. To learn about how God is working in the other person’s life. When I listen to learn rather than just listen to hear — I can learn about myself as much as I learn about the one who is speaking to me. In hearing about God’s movement in the life of another, I can better recognize God’s movement in mine.

God is listening to me. And He simply asks me to do the same.

O that today you would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden your heart.

Aurea Sadi

10 Comments

Laura

27/1/2021 01:31:04 pm

"Or I may be hearing Him but I just don’t like what I’m hearing." - Yes, I have definitely been there before, haha.

I'm the same as you - my default is listening, although I have to admit I never stopped to consider how that makes me come off (although I've been told I'm not the warmest person, haha). And I sympathize with the challenges of listening to hard things that are either beyond your purview or impossible to resolve (at least in a way that is agreeable to everyone).

I love the way you contrasted listening to hear and listening to learn - I feel like I'm slowly picking up on that concept. Focusing less on what's happening and more on why it's happening, and the fruits of even just exploring that shift in perspective have been rich.

Thank you for your insightful reflection, Aurea.

Aurea

27/1/2021 08:02:34 pm

It's is the "why" that is the key! Listening for that why is what bears so much fruit in our relationship with our good and gracious God as well as with others. But listening is awfully hard work some days!

Thank you for your comments and your kindness Laura!

Lindsay

28/1/2021 08:28:30 pm

Giving thanks for your listening ears, Aurea - you are right, it is an important skill to cultivate! I love this: "In hearing about God’s movement in the life of another, I can better recognize God’s movement in mine."

Alana

29/1/2021 07:34:05 am

That is such a good point Lindsay! I have learned so much by how God works in the lives of others.

And beautiful reflection Miss Aurea. I am always grateful for your listening ear and heart and for your compassion and empathy and the wisdom which you you counsel prudently - you are a blessing dear friend who has taught me so much about how to listen well and the importance of a calm and understanding presence which I know are so often more important than offering solutions (which is usually my go to response that I know can be frustrating if it’s not what someone wants/needs in the moment). Lord, help me to listen to You and others well. Give me the wisdom to hear Your voice in each encounter and how to respond well. Amen. 😊🙏🏻💕xo

30/1/2021 01:53:26 pm

Ahh..and that is the key Miss Alana - we need to know when to listen and when we use the voice that God gave us. Easier said then done most days!

Thank you for your kinds words dear friend!

30/1/2021 01:50:58 pm

We are witnesses to one another...and our God wouldn't have it any other way. One of the many things I love about our faith - it is lived, learned, and loved in community. We were not created to be alone. Thank goodness!

Lisa Matheson

30/1/2021 08:21:13 am

I love to talk. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a really hard time keeping my mouth shut. When I first started my relationship with Jesus about 2 years ago, I did A LOT of talking. Complaining, yelling, whining about not getting my way. The first time I was a helper at Alpha it was SO tough for me to stay quiet. Even when I was listening, I wasn’t really hearing...I was just waiting for my turn to talk. But I feel God working on me in this area. He is reminding me:
“ I need to not only listen to hear, but I need to listen to learn.”
Love that line Aurea. I need to listen to Him and listen to others. When I do, I really do learn so much!

30/1/2021 01:58:39 pm

I find myself knowing exactly what to say...after the fact. All too often hours, sometimes even days after a conversation, I think to myself: "That's what I should have said!" So I am in awe of people who find words easily - and I am thankful for them! We need both the talker and the listener - and the ability to discern when to be what.

Thank you Lisa!

Lori

30/1/2021 08:41:05 am

Yes, Aurea. Listening is actually my confession penance this week: time in silence. I loved this bit: "God speaks through each of us and is present to us in the voices of all His creations." He is present when His is the only voice to be heard, and He is present in the clanging gong. I need only to listen to learn. Thanks, girl. This is good stuff.

30/1/2021 02:02:39 pm

Reminding myself (often) that all is God's creation, and that it is good, refocuses my perspective. Let us all continue to listen together!

Just Listen

A Reflection on the Psalm for January 31st, 2021:
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Just Listen

A Reflection on the Psalm for January 31st, 2021:Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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A Reflection on the Psalm for January 31st, 2021:
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time