Along the journey towards the greater, there are many small, daily steps to better understand oneself, God, and others. This is one of my “daily steps”.
Two four year olds in a crowded, loud gym. One stands ears open, taking it all in. The other clamps down on his ears trying to block it all out.⠀
⠀
Looking at this photo I snapped from last Friday, I am struck by how they depict two ways I can enter my week – closed eared, nose to the ground focusing on my stuff… or open eared, head up, taking in the stories and experiences of others. ⠀
⠀
I hope and pray I can be open-eared this week.⠀
⠀
My desire sometimes on a #MondayMorning , however, doesn’t always match my intention. So, I love this prayer by #JohnVeltriSJ to inspire my heart to open my ears to others:⠀
⠀
“Teach me to listen, O God, to those nearest me, my family, my friends, my co-workers.⠀
⠀
Help me to be aware that no matter what words I hear, the message is, “Accept the person I am. Listen to me.”⠀
⠀
Teach me to listen, my caring God, to those far from me – the whisper of the hopeless, the plea of the forgotten, the cry of the anguished.⠀
⠀
Teach me to listen, O God my Mother, to myself. Help me to be less afraid to trust the voice inside – in the deepest part of me.⠀
⠀
Teach me to listen, Holy Spirit, for your voice – in busyness and in boredom, in certainty and doubt, in noise and in silence.⠀
⠀
Teach me, Lord, to listen. Amen.”⠀
⠀
What do you need to have open ears for this #Monday ?⠀
