Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
5th Floor Chapel, North American College
January 14, 2024
Listening
Sometimes, I find it hard to listen to others. I’d rather do the talking. Talking over everyone is one way to impose our will on others. It is also a sure path to alienation both from God and others.
For a second time in a few days, we encounter that beautiful scene in Scripture where Eli realizes that young Samual has been called by the Lord. Eli instructs Samuel what to say to the Lord: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”
Responding to that reading, we echoed the words of Psalm 40. “Sacrifice or offering you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me” – words that apply preeminently to the beloved Incarnate Son of God who listened with human ears to the sound of his Father’s voice and in our humanity accomplished the Father’s saving will.
As to confirm both our reading from 2nd Samuel and Psalm 40, let us remember what Paul teaches: Fides ex auditu: faith comes from hearing. And every spiritual master, every authentic teacher of prayer will tell us that prayer is less about talking to God and more about listening. “Speak, Lord, I love to listen to your voice.”
Listening in order to see
Buried somewhere in his massive writings, Hans Urs von Balthasar advises that if we would have vision of the beautiful, we must first listen. He who had assimilated Mozart into his soul, knew that the beauty of sound was the gateway to apprehending the beautiful. If we, who see as if in a glass darkly, would hope one day for the beatific vision, we must listen and learn, as Balthasar says, that the truth is symphonic.
Isn’t that what we see happening in today’s Gospel? The disciples of John the Baptist – Peter, Andrew, John – hear the Baptist say: “Behold the Lamb of God!” and listening to John, they begin to follow Jesus. It is only when we listen, that we begin to see Jesus with the eyes of faith and thus follow him with an obedient faith, obedient faith which is the heart of sacrifice.
Mary’s listening heart
When someone in the crowd cried out, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you,” Jesus responded, “Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” What a perfect description of his Mother, who first conceived the Word of God in her before conceiving him in her womb. Through Mary’s intercession, may we hear the Word of God and keep it all the days of our life!