Teach me to listen
Listening the Spirit
“Holy Spirit, speak to my heart.
Teach me to listen.
Help me to trust in you. And give me the courage to say:
“Yes, Lord, your will be done.”
Listening the Word: Matthew 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
He said in reply, 'I will not,'
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, 'but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him."
Reflection
Obedience comes from the Latin word ob-audire, which means to listen or to listen carefully.
Therefore, obedience is not about doing something, but about listening. We listen to someone because we trust that person. And this is what God invites us to do: to listen to Him, to trust in Him, and to discover His will for our lives.
Obeying does not mean losing our freedom, submission, or slavery. Obeying God does not mean ceasing to be free, but rather using our freedom to trust in Him. Because God loves us. He knows us better than we know ourselves and wants what is best for us because He is our Father.
In the Gospel, we read about two sons.
One of them says "No" to his father, but then changes his mind and goes to work. The other son says "Yes," but doesn't go. Jesus invites us to reflect on relationship with God. Because we have all, at different times in our lives, said “Yes” to God, and at other times, “No.” But the wonderful thing is that God never stops calling us.
The first reading gives us this hope. God tells his people that if someone turns away from evil and begins to do good, they will live. This means that our past does not define our entire life. God gives us the possibility of starting over.
God says, “You belong to me, and I am with you.” The Holy Spirit grants us his gifts: wisdom, understanding, good judgment, fortitude, knowledge, reverence, and awe before God. These gifts are not given to us to make us perfect. They are given to us to help us listen to God and follow Him each day.
Reflection Questions
1.- Do I truly make time to listen to God´s voice - in prayer, scriptures, through other people, and in the events of my life - or am I sometimes too busy listening only to what i want?
2.- When God asks me to choose a different path from the one I want, do I trust Him enough to say, "Yes, Lord, your will be done," believing that His will leads me toward greater freedom and life?
