A week ago, would we have known that the U.S. would be at war in the Middle East? Innocent lives have been lost. The number of countries impacted by the conflagration seems to be expanding. Apart from communicating with our Senators and Representatives, we feel powerless.
All faith traditions encourage two practices that we so often neglect. The first is prayer and the second is fasting. Pope Leo offers the world a perspective on these two practices. For prayer he offers us the practice of listening. He encourages people of prayer to practice listening prayer. He also encourages us to realize that prayer is something that flows into our day as we practice listening throughout our day.
I’ve taught quite a few listening classes. What often happens early on in the process is that people begin to ask, “Yes, but when I have listened, then when do I do something?” This reveals an impoverished understanding of listening as passive. One of the most active things we can do is actively listen—to what is going on within ourselves and how we need to care for ourselves; to listen to each other, knowing that all of us are carrying a burden in our personal lives as well as the impact of national and global events. Listening is a deep spiritual practice.
For the second practice, fasting, Pope Leo has suggested to all of us the practice of fasting from destructive and divisive speech. This could mean a commitment to speaking the truth, to not engage in gossip, to step away from name-calling and tearing others down. The two practices, listening for understanding and speaking with respect, complement each other. That’s well and good, but what do they have to do with peace-making?
It all comes down to our personal choice of the spirit/energy we want to bring into the world. In the same way that aggressiveness, hate, and tearing others down can be contagious, so can the disarming practices of truly listening and respectful communication. It seems like such a small thing, but each of us has the ability to bring a spirit of connection. In the context of our own relationships and our daily living are opportunities to spread the energy of kindness.