Holy Listening

Holy listening

“Listening creates a holy silence. When you listen generously to people, they can hear truth in themselves, often for the first time. And in the silence of listening, you can know yourself in everyone. Eventually you may be able to hear, in everyone and beyond everyone, the Unseen singing softly to itself and you.”

-Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom from InwardOuward.org, Church of the Saviour Daily Quote, November 29, 2018

One of my partners at work gave me this book by Rachel Remen, another physician who writes about the spiritual life in the ordinary. I remember the book, but I also remember the kindness of the giver and offer thanks for him and the times, often very holy, that we had together. I have learned that books are meaningful to me not only for what is in them but for the person who gave the book to me.

We have talked previously a great deal about holy listening, especially from Margaret Guenther and her book Holy Listening, the Art of Spiritual Direction. The message I keep hearing this Advent is to make holy listening to those I do not agree with as a part of my Advent discipline. My husband and I for brief periods of time listen to a news program that we know will tell a different story than what we are normally hearing. How do we each who hear so differently share what we have learned and then search for the truth? I don’t know that answer, but at least hearing a different story and a different interpretation as to what is happening can help us understand why others believe what they do.

There is also another setting where I am trying to be a holy listener. I frequently find myself with people who speak up too often and sometimes have what I interpret as boring words to offer. In the past I would cut them off and try to escape from the conversation. During this season I have been trying just to listen and listen for the Christ within them. One observation is that I have difficulty seeing and hearing Christ in them when I have lost my connection to the Christ within meyself It is the Christ, the God, the holy, the Spirit within us that can make that holy contact. I think that is our job. If we stay connected to the God within, we will discern the answers that we may hear in holy listening and enter into relationship with those with whom we have difficulty.

I am holding on to this hope.

Joanna. Joannaseibert.com

Hearing God

Hearing God

“As we live in this season of Advent, awaiting the coming of the Lord, we might examine our hearts to see if they are truly open. Are we open to God speaking to us in the language of everyday events? Are we willing to hear God’s admonitions and to accept God’s guidance, or are we happier to justify our selfish behaviors and chart our own way in life? May the Lord find in us hearts that are open and ready to receive him, whenever and however he chooses to come to us.”

-Br. David Vryhof, “Brother, Gve us a Word,” Society of Saint John the Evangelist, December 10th, 2018. SSJE.org

This is our daily question. Are we following our will or God’s will? Are we listening to God or are we listening to ourselves and what promotes ourselves and our own self-interest? My experience is it is so hard to know, and I have learned to listen cautiously to those who tell us they know exactly what we are to do. I usually do not know if what I am doing is God’s will until much later.

So, what do we do? We try to put ourselves in position to hear God’s will. This means being silent, practicing spiritual exercises, being in thin places where the spiritual and physical world seem to have only a thin membrane between them, being in community with other spiritual seekers who share experiences, studying scripture and stories of those before us in our own religious traditions, worshipping in community.

My experience also is that when I feel or know the fruit of the spirit after discernment, this is a sign that I am being guiding by the Christ within, the Holy Spirit, the God of our understanding. (Galatians 5:22 love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.)

This is not a walk we do alone. We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses who have been before us and who are now with us to guide us.

Joanna. Joannaseibert.com

December 14

December 14

Remembering the names of children and teachers killed at Sandy Hook Elementary six years ago on December 14th

“Holding these persons in our broken-open hearts, we are less likely to forget.” “Advent Message for Today,” from St. Mary’s Cathedral, Memphis, December 10, 2018

Charlotte Bacon, 6

Daniel Barden, 7

Olivia Engel, 6

Josephine Gay, 7

Ana Marquez-Greene, 6

Dylan Hockley, 6

Madeleine Hsu, 6

Catherine Hubbard, 6

Chase Kowalski, 7

Jesse Lewis, 6

James Mattioli, 6

Grace McDonnell, 7

Emilie Parker, 6

Jack Pinto, 6

Noah Pozner, 6

Caroline Previdi, 6

Jesica Rekos, 6

Avielle Richman, 6

Benjamin Wheeler, 6

Allison Wyatt, 6

Rachel Davino, 29 (Teacher)

Dawn Hochsprung, 47 (School Principal)

Nancy Lanza, 52 (Mother of gunman)

Anne Marie Murphy, 52 (Teacher)

Lauren Rousseau, 30 (Teacher)

Mary Sherlach, 56 (School psychologist)

Victoria Soto, 27 (Teacher)

Adam Lanza (shooter)

“To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.” Elie Wiesel

The “Advent Meditation for Today” from St. Mary’s Cathedral in Memphis listed the names of the children and teachers killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School six years ago. Elie Wiesel, the survivor of the Holocaust, will keep reminding us in his writings which live on after him that remembering those who have died, especially their names, helps us to keep them alive. We are called to keep their memory and the memory of so many others alive to remind us how the control of guns and assault weapons is out of control in our country. These children and their teachers cry out to us to save the lives of the children they will never have.

As we pray for peace this Advent, may we pray for courage and sacrifice and forgiveness and compassion and discernment for answers for this question for our country. May we be guided by what we can learn from so many other countries who have found answers to this issue.

So, what do the children and teachers of Sandy Hook Elementary School have to do with spiritual direction? The God of love daily calls us to spread the love we learn as we connect to the God within us and God in our neighbor. We know our God grieves with all these children and their families and we are called to connect in some unknown way to their grief as well. Out of our love and grief we are called to honor those who have died by working to prevent such acts of violence. Discernment and action are just as important parts of the spiritual life as prayer and silence and contemplation and forgiveness.

Joanna joannaseibert.com