Do you spend time each day to be attentive and to listen to God? - Daily Reflections January 11,2015

LISTEN, THAT YOU MAY HAVE LIFE!   Last year, a small fire broke out in the wee hours of the morning in our seminary. It started in one of the old ceiling fans that kept whirring all night. Thankfully, one of the seminarians, who has always been a light sleeper, took notice and lost no time alerting everyone in the building.        It pays to be attentive, to keep an attitude of listening, to observe what is going on, to see subtle signs of things that need to be responded to sooner, not later.        One of them, who slept right below the burning fan, was not that attentive. He was a heavy sleeper and was oblivious of the danger that was fast developing just a few feet above him. He had to be startled to full wakefulness, and only then could he sort out what to do.        Inattention and deficient listening skills can be costly. I remember a funny incident in the seminary years ago. One priest, who knew very little English, sent a seminarian, whose listening and speaking skills were even worse, on an errand. The Spanish priest told the seminarian to go some place in Makati to get 1,000 hosts. The poor clueless boy went to Ayala Lumber and Hardware for he thought he said water “hose.” When the owner of the hardware asked him how long a hose was needed, he blurted out, “1,000.” The owner rolled her eyes in disbelief. “1,000 feet or meters?” she asked. “If it’s meters, that’s a kilometer long, and we don’t have that much!” So, back to the seminary the boy went, empty-handed. He told the flabbergasted priest that the “hose” would be delivered soonest.        Christian life calls for constant attentiveness. We quiet down and listen to the liturgy of the Word. We come into contemplation mode and commune with God on a daily basis. We pray vocally using words, but even in vocal prayer, we need to be attentive to the subtle and quiet leadings of the Spirit.        At the Lord’s baptism, God spoke.“Come to me heedfully, listen that you may have life.” Are you listening? Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB   REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you spend time each day to be attentive and to listen to God?   Help me to be more attentive to You, Lord, that I may know Your will every day of my life.