LISTEN AND RESPOND
By listening, I place myself in a position to listen to others, those who have no voice, who are marginalised; listening to those who are close to me, who often become frustrated because of my ‘deafness’; listening to the Word of God with open ears and heart; listening through prayer and fasting. It is only by listening that I am able to respond. This is why Our Lady always says at the end of her messages: “Thank you for responding to my call.” If I listen, I will respond. If I don’t listen, then there will be little or no response – and then I shall find myself walking into brick walls because with deafness comes blindness.
Not listening has its consequences. What happens when a husband and wife fail to listen to each other, or when parents fail to listen to their children, or children fail to listen to parents? And then there are the times we complain about the state of the world or our circumstances. Is nobody listening? Can’t anyone do something? It can be very frustrating when no-one wants to listen to us. There are even moments when we wrongly conclude that God and Our Lady are not listening.
But what I have come to understand is that not listening is the first sign of a closed heart. Our Lady says that we do not know how to love because we do not know how to listen to her words with love. She says she has come to earth to teach us to listen out of love, to listen and to live her messages.
• “May your heart be prepared to listen to, and live, everything which the Holy Spirit has in his plans for each of you.” part Medjugorje message, May 25, 1998