Some people think that Jesus spent a good deal of time on Holy Tuesday teaching. (Matthew 21 through 25) It’s more than likely that he did. And while some people listened to his teachings, like his disciples, others were not so receptive. People like the Pharisees and Sadducees, for example, did not listen to what Jesus taught.
Being a good listener is an important part of being a good Christian. We should “listen,” so to speak, to the teachings of Jesus in the Bible. We should listen to our priests and other holy leaders. We should listen to the Holy Spirit. We should listen to one another. Listening helps us to learn, to grow, and to understand.
Because listening was so important for the followers of Jesus on Holy Tuesday, and continues to be for us, I thought I’d share with you a poem called “Listening” by William C. Gannett. As I explained in yesterday’s post, Gannett was an American clergyman of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He wrote many poems and hymns.
I hope you find this piece by him to be an inspiration.
Listening
BY William C. Gannett
I hear it often in the dark,
I hear it in the light,
Where is the voice that calls to me
With such a quiet might?
It seems but echo to my thought
And yet beyond the stars;
It seems a heart-beat in a hush
And yet the planet jars!
Oh, may it be that far within
My inmost soul there lies
A spirit-sky that opens with
Those voices of surprise?
And can it be, by night and day,
That firmament serene
Is just the heaven where God himself,
The Father, dwells unseen?
O God within, so close to me
That every thought is plain,
Be judge, be friend, be Father still
And in Thy heaven reign!
My heaven is mine, my very soul,
Thy words are sweet and strong,
They fill my inward silences
With Music and with Song.
They send me challenges to right
And loud rebuke my ill,
They ring my bells of victory,
They breathe my ” Peace, be still!”
They ever seem to say, “My child,
Why seek Me so all day?
Now journey inward to thyself
And listen by the way.”
* * *
Do you listen to the voice referred to in this poem?
It isn’t always easy, but doing so is such a blessing. 🙂
Tomorrow, we take a look at a poem for Spy Wednesday. If you’re wondering why it’s called “Spy” Wednesday, come back here tomorrow and you’ll find out. 😉