“Listen, O my son, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart, and cheerfully receive and faithfully execute the admonitions of thy loving Father…”
Listen.
From the outset of his rule, St. Benedict urges us to do something uncomfortable: to listen, to truly listen.
Constantly inundated with noise through the news, social media, TV, podcasts, and music, we can mistakenly believe that we are always listening to something or other.
However, in his urgent plea to listen, St. Benedict suggests a more radical approach to listening, not merely passive consumption of noise and words but “inclining the ear of thy heart.” This is an active listening that can only happen in the silence of prayer.
Because of the drastic difference between these two modes of listening, one noisy and busy, the other quiet and still, they can counteract one another. When we fill our ears and minds with a constant stream of noise, we lose the ability to truly listen with the ear of the heart. Likewise, when we listen with the ear of the heart, the Word of God finds us, calms us, and guides us closer to Him—and we find that we do not want the noise of the world to interrupt!
God is making this same call to each one of us every day. He desires to speak to us but needs us first to listen to His still small voice. With this beautiful St. Benedict Medal Candle, you will be reminded of the power of silence and your own call to listen. Inscribed with the Benedictine motto, “Ora et Labora” (“Pray and Work”), this candle creates a peaceful and reverent atmosphere that will help you do both! Available today from The Catholic Company!
