Listen to Him!
Written by Debora Rodrigo
As human beings, we have been blessed with the enormous gift of being able to speak. By speaking, we can communicate, express our feelings, ask for help when we need it, etc. But many times, we overuse this divine gift leaving in disuse another gift of equal or greater blessing: the gift of listening.
Numerous investigations talk about the benefits of listening more and speaking less. Some have even claimed that this is precisely the key to success. And it seems that there is much truth in the fact that the more you speak, the more wrong you are. But not only do we make more mistakes, we also lose the opportunity to listen, and therefore to learn and acquire knowledge. These are probably some of the reasons why James wrote: "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak" (James 1:19).
The disciples, the humans that they were, had the same problem of speaking more than they should. In a well-known passage in the Gospels we are told one of the times in which Peter was speaking without really knowing what to say (Matthew 17: 1-8). In it, Jesus takes His three special disciples with them and takes them to a separate place. The Gospels tell us how there, before them, Jesus was transfigured, and Moses and Elijah, who were talking with Him, appeared next to Him. I imagine the faces of amazement of Peter, James and John, completely frightened by what was happening before them. It was surely a moment to listen and not speak. But that was not what happened.
While Jesus was talking with Moses and Elijah, Peter broke into the conversation and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah" (Matthew 17: 4). However, notice how the Gospel of Mark points out that Peter spoke even though "he did not know what to say, they were so frightened" (Mark 9: 6). Perhaps, it would have been better to remain quiet and listen to that conversation that Jesus had with Moses and Elijah (Mark 9: 4). Not everyone is offered the privilege of witnessing such an event!
Let's see what happened next. Immediately, while Peter was still giving his opinion, a cloud covered them, and a voice was heard saying: "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"(Matthew 17: 5).
I guess Peter got the message. I think the other disciples present that day also understood that when the Son's voice is audible, we do not need to cover it with ours. Today, what do your emotions and the situations you are facing make you want to talk about? Have you listened to the Son? Are you sure you have something better to say? Listen to Him!
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