May 11, 2025

4^th Sunday of Easter (C) 

“Our Listening Posts”

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

 
Faith is not easy, because as Scripture teaches us, it is based not on seeing but on hearing. Like St. Thomas we tend to think that seeing is believing. It’s hard to believe anything unless it is staring us in the face. Yet, Our Lord said to St. Thomas: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed.” The people of Nazareth could not see that the Son of Mary was also the Son of God. Those on Calvary could not see that the Man on the cross was the Redeemer. To believe, we must go beyond what is seen.
 
This is also true of our faith in the Church, which today is presented to us as the flock of Christ. One of the characteristics of sheep is that they cannot see well. Sheep are so shortsighted that they mostly look down to the ground and as a result they easily get lost and wander into danger. So they must rely on their hearing to follow the shepherd, to stay within the fold, to remain safe. Our Lord does not say, “My sheep see me and follow me.” He says, “My sheep hear my voice and follow me.”
 
When we view the Church only with our eyes, we can sometimes be disappointed. We must rely on our hearing but even more on something deeper…listening. Our Lord says in the Gospel of John: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. 
 
How good are you at listening? A married man told me, that listening to his wife was like reading the terms and conditions of a website. He understands nothing but he still says, “I agree!” 
 
Listening is often a struggle because we live in a loud and intrusive culture that distracts us from the spiritual. Listening requires keen attention. It is a skill to be cultivated. It is one of the sincerest forms of respect we can show another. Fr. Nouwen calls listening a form of “spiritual hospitality.” 
 
In the spiritual life, like good sheep, there are two vital places we must use our listening skills to faithfully follow the Shepherd.
 
The first is in the written word. Sacred Scripture, the word of God, of course has pride of place. And we should read, absorb and apply all that we read: not only the passages that comfort us, but also those that challenge us. Alongside the Scriptures, reading the lives and works of the saints and viewing solid Catholic internet sites will allow God and not the world be the Lord of our mind. Fr Nouwen says, “Even if we were to devote 15 minutes a day to spiritual reading, “we would soon find our mind being less of a garbage can and more of a vase filled with good thoughts.”
 
The second place is within the Church. One of the spiritual dangers of our time is to separate Jesus from the Church. Many people, cynical about organized religion and its leaders, say “I believe in God, I just don’t need the Church” or “I’m spiritual not religious” which means, “I can be holy without the constraints, dogmas, and rules that come with being part of a Church.” Their approach is “My relationship to God is what I decide it is,” which ultimately is egoism. So, they close their ears to what the Church proclaims and teaches. The Church’s mission is to always point us to the good shepherd. 
 
It is to be sure, “a very human organization but the Church is also the Bride of Christ, his beloved, for whom he gave his life. How can we say we love Christ without loving his Bride? Imagine if you said to a friend, “I love you, I admire you, you’re great. But your bride…she’s another story.”I doubt you would remain friends for long! Fr. Nouwen says, “Believing in Jesus and believing in the Church are two sides of one faith.” 
 
Let us take up the challenge of keen listening to the Lord who speaks to us in his Sacred Word, through the holy women and men of history, and through his Bride, the Church.