The impetus for this meditation comes from Cameron Trimble, CEO of Convergence and author of the (almost) daily blog Piloting Faith.

Trimble writes about the power and, indeed, sacredness of listening. She recalls a conversation in which the speaker told of abuse and torture at the hands of family members.

Trimble’s first instinct was to somehow “fix” the problem, address the wrong that had been done, but the person she was speaking with responded, “I don’t need you to fix me. In need you to hear me.”

Here me! Listen; just be quiet and pay attention. Listening may the most important spiritual activity we can inspire to.

Several years ago, our congregation, Claremont Presbyterian, initiated what it called a “Listening Season.” Trained listeners spent about an hour with others—mostly church members—listening to their stories.

Over several months, we listened to more than 100 members of the congregation and the wider community. We followed the admonition of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who wrote, “The first service one owes to others in the fellowship consists of listening to them.... Those who cannot listen long and patiently will always be talking past others, and finally will no longer even notice it.... The death of the spiritual life starts here.”

The same habits of mind and heart that we cultivate in meditation—Friday’s Centering Prayer and other meditative practices—apply to listening. We silence the howling distractions in our mind and focus on others.

While we tend to think of listening as a social or occupational skill—jazz musicians and therapists must listen in order to fulfill their occupational roles—listening is also a spiritual requirement. The Holy Spirit speaks not only with the tongues of angels but also through the mouths of our neighbors and sometimes our enemies.

Photo: CTK, Kailua Beach, Hawaii, 2018.