Listen more, talk less
The story is told about two men who were talking to each other. The first one said: “I recently got married because I was tired of eating out, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, and wearing shabby clothes.” The second one said: “That’s amazing! I recently got divorced just for the very same reasons!”
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In today’s Gospel (Luke 6:39-45), Jesus teaches us: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will they not both fall into a pit?” We need to listen to other people, yes, but we all need to listen to Someone greater than us all. Beyond human wisdom, beyond human opinion, let us listen to God’s will, God’s way, and God’s time.
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We need to listen to others more, so that we do not become proud, conceited, and begin to belittle others. May we not forget to be humble. We are all just passing by. Let us learn to respect and listen to everyone, for “even the dull and the ignorant have their story to tell.” (Desiderata)
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Be careful of pride which makes us believe that we are better than others (better-than-thou); pride which makes us believe that we are holier than others (holier-than-thou); pride that makes us believe that we are more intelligent than others (wiser-than-thou). If you have these, wake up from your fantasy and illusion. Deflate your pride. Learn to stop, step back, and step aside, so that others can pass by.
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“Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly, to remove the splinter in your brother’s eyes.” The key is humanity. Let us be humble to accept our faults, biases, blind spots, and limitations. Before we judge and correct others, we must start with ourselves. Before we “convert” others we must be converted first.
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“For from the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Let us examine ourselves today of what we say, and what we speak of. Try to record yourself talking and find out what your favorite topics are. You’ll be amazed that many people most of the time speak of their opinions, their achievements, their possessions, their connections. And there are those who talk endlessly about their children, and grandchildren. And worse, there are those who talk negative about everything and about everyone. And more worse, there are people who talk proud and mighty, all the way.
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Do you really listen to God, not just to yourself? Do you really think about God, and not just think of yourself? Do you also talk about God, not just about yourself? Hear God. Think God. Talk God!
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March 5 is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten Season. Lent is all about “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30). The discipline of Lent is about self-denial, penance, good works, which should lead us to become more aware of the presence of God, and the many people around us, especially the poor, the sick, and the suffering. And let us not forget that our Lenten discipline must be accompanied by humble, contrite, and joyful hearts.
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Here are some meaningful practices for the Lenten Season (from the Diocese of Toronto): Give up sin; fasting and abstinence; good works; meditation; control of desire for possessions; control of desire of entertainment and gadgets. And may we add: do all these with the heart.
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Let us not fall into idle talks, useless chatters, and negative conversations. Papa and Mama always told us that if we have nothing good to say about others, better to say nothing at all.
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“Jesus, I trust in You; Mama Mary, I love you.” These are the words I found myself saying when I recovered from a temporary unconsciousness after a vehicular accident last Feb. 7, 2018. Looking back, I am happy to find out that at the last moments of my life, I would be mentioning the names of Jesus and Mary, humbly pleading for God’s mercy.
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May we learn from Mama Mary, our Mother and Model, to listen more to our Lord. There are many things we don’t understand in this life, but as long as we keep listening to God, everything will turn out all right.
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