DELIGHTING IN THE PASCHAL MYSTERIES
The
prayer over the offerings today asks God for the grace to “always find
delight in the paschal mysteries.” As a sincere seeker and assiduous
listener, Nicodemus was all ears that night he came to Jesus with his
questions. No doubt, he was a secret admirer of the Lord, the doer of signs that could not have been done if He were not from God.
But Nicodemus hesitated. He came at night. Like many of us who worry a lot about what people might say or think, he avoided the curious crowds. He did his search discreetly. He was a quiet but an active searcher, also an avid listener.
I am active in social media, especially Facebook, where I do my own brand
of evangelization. Often, I see people who give comments to posts and
links that they have not even read. Apparently, the rule now is “shoot
first; ask questions later.” Some
people even get pretty worked up after reading the title of articles
carried by satirical sites that provide subtle commentary to
current events. Many react without first reading; they talk without
first hearing; and they give a piece of their minds without first
listening.
I admire Nicodemus. A man of means, he made use of his resources
to help. Together with Joseph of Arimathea, he made it possible for the
crucified Lord to get a decent burial. A learned man in search of the
truth, he came forward, he asked,
and he listened. Today’s Gospel passage shows that he most likely found
delight in the mysteries he listened to.
Today, one keeps silent not to listen but to think about what to say
next to convince the other. Monologues like these are boring. Dialogues,
in contrast, are engaging. In a dialogue, one listens twice as much as
one speaks. One listens with the heart, like Nicodemus did. He listened intently and found delight in the words of the Lord. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB
REFLECTION QUESTION: How good are you at listening?
Grant me a listening heart, Lord, that I may hear You well in my life.
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