A Few Words On "The Word"

April 29, 2007
Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C

John 10:27-30

Preferential Listening

When flipping through the hundreds of channels on your TV have you ever stopped to briefly watch one of the political talk shows? I know you probably haven't spent a lot of time on them but maybe you've endured a few minutes when your parents were watching. Many of these shows center on a host and a person being interviewed. The shows aren't necessarily entertaining because of the opinions being offered but rather the fact that shouting matches often ensue. People with strong opinions quit listening to each other and start trying to drown one another out, essentially ending the conversation.

Listening is vital to good communication, but sometimes listening can be so hard! How many times have you been conversing with someone and realized that you weren't really listening to what they were saying? Instead, you were simply waiting for your turn to speak again. From the outside it looks like you are communicating with another person by listening and responding. In reality however you're not really communicating at all. Two people are essentially speaking just to hear their own voice.

We are continuously bombarded with noise. Even when we decide to listen to others it's often hard to hear what is being said. The noise we have trouble discerning ends up drowning out the voices we really should be listening to like God and those around us in need.

Today's reading is very short but it paints a very strong picture of our relationship with Jesus. Using the image of a shepherd and sheep, Jesus shows how intimate our relationship with him really is. Shepherds and sheep know each other very well because of the immense time they spend together. The sheep easily recognize the shepherd's voice and the shepherd can distinguish each individual sheep by the way they act. Viewing Jesus as a good shepherd helps to explain the extreme action Jesus will take to ensure our eternal life.

If we, as sheep, are supposed to clearly recognize Jesus' voice, why do we find it so hard to hear him speaking to us? Maybe we're not actually listening for Jesus and what he may be telling us through the Holy Spirit. Perhaps we refuse to slow down and be still long enough to actually hear what he is saying. We forget to listen to those around us and the wisdom they have because of the experiences they've endured.

Listening is essential to communication and is therefore central to peacebuilding. If we fail to listen to Jesus' recognizable voice found in those around us, we overlook the many opportunities we are being given to empower those in need. Perhaps we could take it a step further and say that we should listen to those in need in a special way, realizing that when we help the least we are also helping Christ.

Reflection Question

In what ways do you give preference to listening for the voice of those in need, especially the poor, downtrodden, or oppressed?

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