Painting of Monica (artist unknown)
Learning to Listen (3)
“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
I. Required readings
Christian Biography for the Day: Monica (Mother of Augustine of Hippo)
Joan Chittister, Wisdom Distilled from the Daily:
Chapters 2-3 (14-38)
“Ten Ways of Looking at Silence.”
II. Quotation for the
day
"There is a different kind of prayer without ceasing; it is longing. Whatever you may be doing, if you long for the day of everlasting rest, do not cease praying. If you do not wish to cease praying, then do not cease your longing. Your persistent longing is your persistent voice. When love grows cold, the heart grows silent. Burning love is the outcry of the heart! If you are filled with longing all the time, you will keep crying out, and if your love perseveres, your cry will be heard without fail."
III. Journal prompts
1. Chittister writes that "Benedictine spirituality is about listening to four realities: the Gospels, the Rule, one another, and the world." Why do you think that Chittister believes that listening to all four of these is important? How would you finish the following sentence: "I believe that being a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ requires a willingness to listen to ______________."
2. What do you think Chittister is trying to get at when she writes: "Prayer in Benedictine spirituality is not an interruption of our busy lives nor is it a higher act"?
3. Chittister writes: "When we start listening to the Word of God, people have a right to expect something new of us." Do you think that Christians have this expectation that listening to the Word of God will bring about something new? Do you think the world around us has this expectation? Why do you think this is so?
4. Chittister reminds us that we are a culture of quick fixes and that this often gets in the way of our recognizing that a life of discipleship is a slow and sometimes even painful process. Does this resonate with your own experience?
5. Prayer in the Benedictine tradition, explains Chittister, is "regular," "scriptural," "reflective," and "communal." Which of these aspects of prayer do you think you understand and practice? Which one(s) do you think is most absent from your own life of prayer?
6. Which one or ones of the "Ten Ways of Looking at Silence" most resonates with you? Why?