19 November 2021
Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s gospel shows us the power of listening attentively to the Word of God through Scripture and prayer. The chief priests, the scribes and the leaders of the people sought to kill Jesus after he denounced them for making the temple a den of thieves. They fail to accomplish their purpose, however, because “all the people were hanging on” Jesus’ every word as he taught.
Listening attentively to God in prayer and to our neighbor in our everyday life has the power of inspiring understanding, compassion, healing, and love. It can sustain, nourish, replenish life for both the listener and the one speaking.
When was the last time you found yourself hanging on to another’s every word? What did they say? How did they say it? What did it evoke in you? What did you evoke in the speaker?
In a world full of noise, may we always be willing and able to listen and discern the words of life eternal.