Speaking and Listening - John 1:35-42

Today’s readings put an emphasis on our need to seek, and live out, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And a personal relationship with Christ is best accomplished when we both speak and listen to him.

No matter what line of work we are in or how extensive our family life is, the quality of our relationships within our workplaces and families generally dictates what our level of fulfilment will be in those important aspects of our lives. And if we aspire to build better relationships, it must begin with being a better listener, an active listener.

One of the true virtues of our country and its free market system is that it is relationship based. The seller succeeds when he finds a way to please the potential buyer. In order to please the buyer, it is essential that the seller listen and get to know what the buyer’s wants. Otherwise he or she will be wasting a lot of time, and most likely be straining the relationship with the buyer. In my days in sales, I’ve known many sales people with a tremendous gift of gab, but they stunk at sales because they didn’t invest time in listening to their customers. There’s no better way to build relationships than to leave the “self” behind and ask, “What is important to you? How can I help you?”

Jesus models relationship building for us in the Gospel when he asks Andrew, “What are you looking for?” What better way to draw someone in and make them comfortable! Jesus was showing these disciples that he was interested in a relationship, and he is asking the same of us today.

We know that in any good relationship, it’s always a two way street. We can only develop a close relationship with Jesus, if we reach out to him in prayer and ask of him, “Lord, what are you looking for, from me?” And after asking the question we must listen attentively and act on his answer.
                                                                                                                   
We all have a need to hear from God. We can think of a student struggling to choose a school, a couple contemplating marriage, parents worried about their children, nearly anyone who is hurting or floundering or fearing. We all need to hear from God!

The first reading shows us how best to engage Jesus in prayer, both through speaking and listening. Guideposts Magazine provides a seven step roadmap for speaking and listening that follows the story of Samuel.

Here are the seven steps: Get humble. Get quiet. Get into God’s presence. Get counsel. Get into the habit of saying, “Speak Lord”. Get into a listening attitude. Lastly, get ready to act on what God says.

1. Get humble. The story begins: The young boy Samuel was serving the Lord under the tutelage of high priest Eli. We notice that God isn’t speaking to Eli or the elite temple priests- just to this boy Samuel, who was of lower standing. As we hear in the book of James, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” It is a grace to hear God’s voice. So if we wish to hear God’s voice, we must be his humble children.

2.  Get quiet. The Lord called Samuel while he was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was - a quiet place. That is probably not coincidental. To hear God’s voice we must quiet ourselves.

It’s been said of Londoners who live in the shadow of the grand St. Paul’s Cathedral that they never hear the church’s great bells because the ringing blends in with all the noise of the city. But on those rare occasions when streets are deserted and shops are shuttered, the bells can be heard just fine. If we want to hear God’s voice we must get quiet.

3.  Get into God’s presence. It’s especially notable that Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord because his mother had dedicated him to the service of God. But the account says more. He was “where the ark of God was.” That is, he was in the place of God’s presence. 

For us, that may signify being in church. But the church is not the only place to get into God’s presence. Some people have a “prayer closet” or “prayer chair” or a special place in the woods. We can pray at any time and place, but to be fully present to God we must be purposeful about it.

4.  Get counsel. God beckoned Samuel repeatedly, even calling to him by name. But Samuel was slow to catch on. We must admit that many times it’s the same with us. But then notice: Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy, so Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and laid down in his place. Though Eli was not the one hearing God’s voice, he nonetheless gave wise counsel to Samuel.

If we believe it’s God’s voice we are hearing, but we’re not sure, we might confer with someone who we consider somewhat of a spiritual mentor. We know that God frequently speaks to us through others, so availing ourselves to advice from others is wise in and of itself.

5.  Get into the habit of saying, “Speak, Lord.” So as the story continues, Samuel laid back down in his place and the Lord came and stood there, calling as he had before, and Samuel this time responds, “Speak, for your servant is listening”.

Christian writer Oswald Chambers said it this way: “Get into the habit of saying, ‘Speak, Lord,’ and life will become a romance. Every time circumstances press upon us, just say those words, “Speak, Lord.”
If you face a decision, large or small: “Speak, Lord.” When you lack wisdom: “Speak, Lord.” Whenever you open your mouth in prayer: “Speak, Lord.” Each time you greet a new day, say, “Speak, Lord.” 

When, out of obedience, Samuel declares, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening”, the possibilities open up for him, and as the reading tells us, the Lord was with him and his words were no longer “without effect.”

6.  Get into a listening attitude. When God finally spoke, Samuel heard it because he was listening - not talking or being distracted by his surroundings. If we want to hear God’s voice, we must enter into a listening attitude. It was Cardinal Collins of Toronto who said, “It’s speak Lord, your servant is listening”, not “Listen Lord, your servant is speaking”. We must have a listening (a servant’s) attitude.

7.  Get ready to act on what God says. It’s not included in the first reading, but when God did speak to Samuel, it wasn’t great news. In fact, it was a message of harsh judgment on Eli (Samuel’s “boss”) and Eli’s family. Ouch! That wasn’t what he wanted to hear!
                                                                                                                                                     
If we want to hear God’s voice, we must prepare for the possibility that he may not say what we want to hear. And that we may have to act on what he tells us. As someone said, “Hearing should always be for heeding.” In other words, if we intend to hear God’s voice, and then decide whether or not we will heed it, we’re not likely to hear God’s voice at all, in any fashion. But if we are ready to act on whatever he might say, we may truly hear his voice. And then (using those words, once again, from Oswald Chambers) life will become a romance. 

None of us have had the experience of hearing God’s voice aloud as Samuel did or had Jesus look us square in the eye and say, “What are you looking for?” But when we need answers, the roadmap that includes both listening and speaking is a good place to start.  

God is always beckoning us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He is, as St Augustine put it, “nearer than my nearest self”. The catechism tells us “at every time and in every place, God draws close to man.” And in a later section it says, “God never ceases to draw man to himself.” So on one hand God is always coming close to us, and on the other hand he is always drawing us closer to him.

Blind faith is a steep hill to climb. We all want tangible answers. We want alarm bells to wake us up, and we want directional signs at every turn. But the destination we seek can only be found by releasing our faith, living out the words that we sang in our Responsorial Psalm today, “Here I am Lord, I come to do your will”.

And so we pray today, Lord, you call upon us to seek your face. You are what we are looking for. Help us find our meaning in life and the purpose for which you have created us. It’s only through our relationship with you that we will be sustained, strengthened and find fulfilment in our lives as we hope to serve you and our brothers and sisters, and be worthy of your kingdom!

Amen