Learning to Listen

Today's Gospel reading is very broad. If you love me, keep my commandments Jesus says.

In a recent community Lectio, we were had pressed to come up with any solid thoughts on the matter. We concluded there are some passages you must just sit with, and let them gradually reveal themselves to you.

In our day, sitting quietly is a hard task. Recently in a lecture, the group was encouraged to learn to "be still and listen".  During the Q&A, they admitted they found this almost impossible. Many sited other thoughts that come to distract them, and blamed the devil for interfering with their attempts at quiet prayer.

But this attitude misses the whole point of prayer. Nothing can truly be a distraction if you are talking to the Lord. What comes to mind needs only to be turned to him, and it becomes itself a part of your prayer.

It highlights an attitude toward prayer that is prevalent among good Christians...that prayer is something so different from our daily lives, so foreign to a regular conversation, that it takes almost superhuman effort, or is impossible.

But that is not true! Prayer is simple taking your regular mode of conversation to the Lord, and speaking to him as a friend. Such conversations, instead of wearying us, makes us complete. As just as in every conversation, we need both time to speak and time to listen, so with our prayer to the Lord. We need that time to just listen for his inspirations.

Take this gospel, and sit with it like you would a friend. Ask Jesus what does it all mean, this commandment and the big picture. How can you bring it into your own life? I'd love to hear some of your responses.