Listening in a Time Such as This

During this time, many of us have been asked to assume roles that maybe are not familiar to us. For example, for the first part of this time, Nancy and I have had my daughter and my four grandchildren living with us. In addition to my son who already lives with us, this has certainly changed the dynamic of our household. I feel very comfortable in the role of grandfather, as I spend much time every summer with the grandchildren anyway. It has been somewhat challenging though, to find things to do with parks closed and other activities we would normally do on hold. The normal routine of parish life and other roles that I play has now been taken away as well. So, when a situation arises in our household during this time, where one of us might be feeling stressed or might need a change of pace, I have come to realize that relying on my gift of listening has been valuable.

Perhaps some of you have had to assume roles you are not familiar with. Parents are now, in addition to children’s teachers, being asked to homeschool. Adult children are separated from aging parents and there is a worry there as well. Caregiving from a distance, making sure relatives are OK and safe and healthy are all challenges we are facing. Some of us even now are working from home and trying to develop that new reality. These are all changes many of us have been going through. Perhaps God is asking us all to sharpen our listening skills. Perhaps to be present to our family, including our children and avoid the temptation to multi-task

But listening, whether through a video call, a traditional phone call, an email, or face-to-face always needs to occur with love. This is a gift we as followers of Christ can offer the people in our lives. Listening and being truly present to someone is a powerful and enduring gift. By doing this, no matter what turn this crisis takes, we can bring the sacred, the presence of God into the situation. All of us would admit that many aspects of this crisis are overwhelming and uncontrollable but listening with compassion allows us to bring the calm of Jesus’ message into the situation.

In the Gospel from a couple of Sundays ago, with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus did not immediately identify Himself to them. He allowed them to tell Him how they were feeling and then He offered His words of comfort. Perhaps that is how we can listen in love this coming week as we all experience this time of crisis. So be present to one another, listen in love, and reflect on the love of Jesus for each of us.