After a meeting at my parish last week, I’ve not been able to get “listening” off my mind. Listening is something that we humans tend to struggle with. Actually, I would say that communication in general is challenging for most of us. It takes work to communicate well. It takes effort to listen well.

Have you ever been “listening” to a friend or spouse or co-worker all the while you’re also listening to the television or radio or another conversation? It doesn’t work too well, does it? Yet, I realized that I’ve often done that very thing when it comes to listening to God. How can I ever expect to hear the Spirit speak to me while never setting aside a time and place to listen?

The Rule of Saint Benedict calls us to be people who make an effort to listen. His rule begins with these words: “Listen carefully, my child, to your master’s precepts, and incline the ear of your heart (Prov. 4:20).”

One thing the monastic life reminds us of is the importance of listening. After all, that’s what Lectio Divina is all about. We set aside a particular time and space and open the Scriptures and listen for the Spirit’s voice. That doesn’t happen haphazardly; no, it takes a certain amount of discipline, planning and perseverance. Benedictine monks spend time every day in quiet meditation and listening.

Jesus, as we see in the Bible, was regularly finding time away from the crowds to be in solitude. Jesus knew it was important to enter into silence and listen to the Father’s voice. The Desert Fathers worked hard at listening and left the city to go and live in the solitude of the desert. The Benedictines have been practicing solitude and silence since St. Benedict penned his famous rule. All in all, those are some pretty good examples to follow.

Being intentional about finding a regular time and place to be quiet goes against the grain of our modern technology-filled culture. Perhaps that’s one of the things that has drawn me to the way of St. Benedict. My soul cries out for silence. Somehow, I know that I need to be quiet before the Lord.

One last question to ponder: is there anything more important than listening for the Spirit’s voice?