Sudbury faith: How you listen shows how you love

Sudbury faith: How you listen shows how you love Jesus says to listen not merely to the content, but to the meaning of what others are trying to say Photo by file photo / Getty Images Article content 'Listening is so close to love, that it is often understood as love.' That's what I've heard. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Once, a teacher went up to Jesus and asked him what the greatest commandment of all was. Jesus responds by quoting what is called the 'Sh'ma Yisrael,' which is a prayer that serves as a centrepiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer. He says, 'The most important one is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'' Article content Recommended Videos tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Sudbury faith: How you listen shows how you love Back to video tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video Article content The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.' (Mark 12:29-31). I got to thinking about this. Loving God and loving people- that's definitely the most important. They are so closely tied to each other that in Matthew 25:40, Jesus points out that any act of love you do for someone else, you are actually doing for Him. So, part of how I love God is wrapped up in how I love you. (Conversely, in Matthew 25:45, Jesus says that the acts of love I don't do for you are acts I don't do for Him. Ouch). Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content This makes me wonder if there was a bit more here than I had maybe noticed before. The 'Sh'ma' or 'Shema' means, 'Hear. Listen.' As Jesus focuses on ideas, He really wanted us to grasp, which is why He says things like, 'anyone who has an ear to hear, let him hear.' Listen. Not merely to the content. Listen to the meaning. We all know that there are people who hear and yet never understand. So, Jesus says, listen with all the hearing that you have. Now I wonder if there is something about this kind of listening that we need to pay extra attention to when we are being told to love God and love others. Is there something that 'God wants us to grab hold of about the connection between 'listening' and 'love?'' I am sure that there is. Imagine we are having a conversation and right now, you are talking. What am I doing? I may be hearing your voice, but that doesn't mean I'm listening. I can be hearing your words enough to repeat them back to you, but my mind can still be travelling elsewhere. Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content I could also be chomping at the bit to wait for you to finish so I can say what I want to say, which I may think is much more important than anything you are possibly saying. I could also just interrupt you. None of these are hearing with my ears. I need to fully grasp the fact that – to really listen – I have to lay aside all kinds of things that may be important to me right now so that I can hear what is important to you right now. That kind of listening is humbling. It is putting my focus on you, not me. It displays that I treasure what you are saying. Doesn't that kind of listening display something about love? Of course, I am not saying that love is only listening. But I am saying listening like this is deeply loving. Shouldn't this be the way I listen to God? Shouldn't this be the way I listen to you? Bob Walsh is the Riverside Community Church pastor in Markstay. Article content Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories News Near Espanola