Reflection by Deacon Russ for 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

In todays’ first reading, we hear a wonderful story from the First Book of Samuel. Recapping – Samuel, while sleeping, hears someone call him. He thinks it’s Eli, but Eli doesn’t know what he is talking about. It happens a second time, and once again Eli informs Samuel that it wasn’t he who called. A third time, Samuel hears someone calling him. This time Eli figures it out, and tells Samuel that the next time it happens he should simply say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. Notice, he doesn’t say, “Lord, I can hear you.” Instead he says, “Your servant is listening.” And I think that is significant. The reason is simple: hearing and listening are not the same thing. Most of us are good at one and not so great at the other.

We “hear” things over and over, but do we really “listen?” To me, listening is much different from hearing – in all aspects of our lives. Let’s reflect on two aspects – listening to the Lord and listening to one another.

We know many of the phrases of Scripture – “Love your neighbor,” “Love your enemies,” “Forgive seventy times seven times.” And we know the stories – the widow who gave from her want and not her need, the workers in the vineyard who were given a full days wage even though they only worked a short time, the good Samaritan, the countless times Jesus reached out to the lowly and the unwanted – the sick, the poor and the sinners. Yes, the words are right in front of us, but do we truly “listen?”

The temptation, of course, is to attach a meaning to the words that we want, that fits our agenda, that is convenient for us or that benefits us in some way. Love all people? God can’t possibly mean that I have to love that person! Take up your cross and follow me. But you don’t mean that cross do you? Unfortunately, we’ve all been there and done that many times. True faith-filled listening is only possible when we truly desire for God to communicate what he wants, not the other way around.

And isn’t the same thing true with our relationships with others? How often do spouses hear one another but don’t really listen? How often do kids hear what their parents say, but do they really listen? How often do parents hear what their kids say, but do they really listen? Hearing is much different from listening. Hearing only takes our ears. Listening takes much more. It takes our hearts, our minds, our souls, our whole selves really. Listening involves all we can to know and understand the meaning behind the words. Hearing is an activity that remains on the surface. Listening is more letting the words seep deep into our very being, way down deep into the core of who we are, challenging us, inspiring us and transforming us, thereby allowing us to be more than we were yesterday.

So, God calls us and speaks to us. Our spouse, our parents, our kids call us and speak to us. Is it possible that each of us can have a little bit of Samuel in us – ready and eager to listen, to receive and respond to whatever it is that God or the special people in our lives are saying to us. The truth is, for most of us, it doesn’t take that much to hear. But it does take a great deal of faith and love to truly listen. May we not be satisfied with the one, and always long to be good at the other. “Speak Lord, I hear you.” “Speak Honey, I hear you? “Speak Mom, Dad, or kids, I hear you.” But what I truly need to do is to listen. May that be our prayer today.

If you have a brief faith reflection on today’s reading that you would like to share, please send it to me at deaconruss@holyspiritunoh.org.