Listen Up

In the seventh, and final, of his "Letters to Marc about Jesus" Henri Nouwen urges "three forms of listening".

We live in a noisy world, and it is easy to forget the place and importance of listening.

Nouwen firstly urges a listening to the church.  We all can identify lots of things that are wrong with the church, but the church is the Body of Christ.  "To listen to the Church is to lists to The Lord of the Church."

We should also listen to the book.  The Bible has so much to say to us, and that can be supported by 'spiritual reading' about the Bible and the lives of the saints. 

Thirdly, we should listen to our heart.  "Praying is first and foremost listening to Jesus who dwells in the very depths of your heart.  He doesn't shout.  .. His voice is an unassuming voice, very nearly a whisper, the voice of a gentle love."

It is so easy to miss the voice of God because we are not listening.