Listening More Deeply

I am listening more deeply, more intently, and with a greater sense of urgency, than I have ever listened. I am listening to the lonely cry out for human touch and the holy cry out for sacraments shared. I am listening to words of joy and lament from the masked mouths of strangers and friends alike. I am listening to Black, Latinx, Asian, and Native American people cry out afresh an old, old song of unspeakable trauma, yet bright and shining with hope. I am listening to slow-motion sounds of collapse as political maneuvers falter and fail. I am listening to ice melting beneath the paws of the polar bear. I am listening to the inhalation and exhalation of breath, rhythmically reminding me that every moment is precious, and none is a given. I am listening to the heart of God beneath it all.

Are you listening? I hear you, even as I type this, and I know that you are. Somehow, I hear us, gathered in our listening. It is the sound of a single heart learning, re-learning to listen in awe and wonder.

Broadmindedness is related to tolerance; open-mindedness is the sibling of peace.
Salman Rushdie, writer

Tolerance is not a lived virtue; it’s more of a cerebral ascent.
Krista Tippett, moderator “On Being”

What and who are you listening to? What are you hearing?

Reflection by Rev. Liz Congdon;  Co-President of MCWRET Board of Trustees

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