“This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” (Matt. 17:5)

Today's Sermon in a Nutshell:

“This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” (Matt. 17:5)

Last week I talked about the differences between mercy and compassion. Today I want to bring up two other words which are often mistakenly used interchangeably: hearing vs. listening.

Throughout each day we “hear” all sorts of things with our ears – from words to music, ads to noise. Much of what we hear we routinely filter out, considering it unnecessary. But “listening” is different. While hearing takes little effort, listening takes focus. Thus, good listeners are often good learners, better friends and companions, and naturally more empathetic. 

This is because hearers have trained themselves to ignore or dismiss that which is of little concern to us, deeming them as unimportant due to selfishness, while listening is something we must choose to engage in. Listening is done on purpose and intentionally. 

Therefore, one can easily hear the gospel, epistle, hymns, and sermon to little effect. But to distinguish God’s Word and truly listen to His voice takes great effort – not only with attentive ears, but a focused heart, mind, and soul. This is why, the Church continually beckons us with the exclamations “Wisdom!” and “Let us attend!” so that we might truly discern, listen to, and heed God’s voice!

Fr. John