Learn to Listen. Listen to Learn.

Learn to listen. Listen to learn. When I first heard this saying it caused me to reflect, for several days, on my own practice of listening. Here is what I continue to learn about listening.

1). Listening is different than mere hearing. Listening requires that I am present to the person that I am hearing. It means that as I strive to focus on the person speaking, I refrain from jumping to conclusions, fast-tracking their thoughts, and formulating my response before they are finished speaking. A good rule of thumb for me to check on my being present to another is to be attentive to the urge to interrupt others as they speak.

2). Listening is a practice of patience. It challenges me to slow down, and to keep my own agenda in right-size proportion. Each person has her/his perspective on life from their own experiences. To listen to them is a chance to deepen my own understanding and learning about the mystery of life. It reminds me that I don’t have the final say on life. Patient listening doesn’t always mean that I agree with what I hear yet I am called to offer respect to the person. As I remind myself to practice patient listening it also helps me to be respectful.

3). Listening requires perseverance. The skill of listening takes time, practice, and commitment. I wish I could say that I have mastered it. Yet I know that I am better than I was at it and still need to keep learning. Each person that speaks to me is an occasion to listen with attentiveness, patience, and respect.

This is the posture that Scripture presents of Jesus and his interactions with others. In his listening others had a sense that they were heard and respected. Jesus also spoke the Truth in this same spirit of listening. As we know, some only heard His words while others listened to them. Those who listened were filled with the Spirit and Truth.

As we move towards the closing days of Lent I encourage us to reflect on our listening skills. Am I merely hearing words or am I listening with attentiveness, patience, and perseverance? To my family? To my friends? To my inner self? To my God?

Father John