Attentive Listening

Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:

share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.

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Two Sundays ago, the Word that stood out to me, initially, was “...joy of the wise,” from the first reading.

After I went to sleep that night, I woke up and realized that my throat was aching. To be precise, I realized my throat had been aching for an entire week. It had to be more than a virus. (Likely, it’s an acid-reflux flare up. I've had excellent vocal health for years, but since I’ve made many changes to my diet lately, my throat seems to be inflamed!)

The next morning, I thought something like, “What is the joy of the wise? If it’s ‘silence,’ I’m in trouble.” After a quick search for the full-length reading, this is what I discovered. It’s from my favorite book of the Bible, Sirach, 3:29.

The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the joy of the wise.

Well, naturally. On the week that my throat continues to ache non-stop, I get a word about attentive listening! Very funny.

“Lord, what do you want me to do about this word?”

The obvious first answer was to talk less and listen more! Which was necessary, because of my throat.

Another answer, however, has come more subtly. I got the sense that the Lord wanted me to rejoice in the fruits of listening to him about where we live. After all, it was through a distinct “inner” voice that I first believed we were called to live in Arizona. My husband and I trusted that calling. We listened.

Recently, I’ve experienced many blessings of where we live, with new insight. The wide open skies, the sunsets. The mountains, the symbolism of the desert as a place of purification. The parish that we ended up at, the diversity of people at the local grocery store, the Mexican influence everywhere. The fact that Target is only a 2-minute drive from our house!

Have you seen the beautiful painting of The Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner? What feelings does the image evoke for you? The quiet light that radiates in the room looks both tender and explosive to me. It also seems like Mary is in her typical setting, in her own bed. Maybe we can learn from this image, that miracles are breaking through in our own homes.

Let’s pray!

“Lord, thank you for revealing Yourself to us through your Word. Help us to listen. Thank you for the blessings that you give us as we lean in to Your calling. Please make your home in our hearts. We love you. Amen.”

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