By Vicky Lamin Gayang, CSC –
Readings: 2Sam 7:4-17; Mk 4:1-20
Today the readings portray to us the importance of Listening. Listening is the heart of building a healthy and strong relationship with others and with God. It has the power to transform lives and it is also the foundation of mutual respect and openness. God has given us ears for a purpose: to listen to him and the cry of the people of God. Often we only hear with our head rather than listening with our hearts.
Chaos and violence occur because of a lack of compassionate listening. Many of us believe that we are good listeners since we have ears but in reality, we are not. There are also people who feel at times the need to develop the capacity to listen to others because good listeners are not born but they are made. Everyone is called to be a good listener. Jesus was well aware when he said, “Anyone who has ears for listening should listen.”
Jesus is our perfect example of one who listened to God, to himself, others and to nature. In order to understand God deeply and to be able to listen to the cry of the people and nature, we are called to have an intense desire for listening to God our Father. As the children of God let us then follow our Master Jesus the perfect listener and thank him for the gift of listening that he has bestowed on each one of us especially for making us aware and realize how important it is for us to listen with our compassionate hearts and be totally present to the others, to oneself, to nature and to God in the process of listening.