It's Time for the Listening Church to Speak

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Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: http://pauljernberg.com

I recently read an account from someone who recalled, in an almost boastful way, how when a friend came to them, in distress with a problem, instead of offering some ideas that would have helped the person in distress, they restrained themselves from speaking in favour of merely listening.

And he was encouraged in this approach by the belief that this is what a good Catholic should do – to restrain ourselves from sharing our thoughts while someone else tells us about their problems. Instead, we are to be a listening people and a listening Church.

And this is a theme that seems to be something of a slogan in the Church today. We hear about the synodal way and about our commitment to listening instead at the expense of speaking.

But in the example of my friend, what if the person that was appealing to them was looking for help or a solution to their problem? Yes, it’s a fine thing to listen but listening is a futile thing unless it is paired with understanding. And why bother understanding a problem if it isn’t to try to seek a solution?

For example, what would you think of a medical doctor who, every time someone came to them with a medical problem, they didn’t offer a reply, they just listened to you tell them your problem and then they billed you and sent you on your way?

What if they knew what the antidote to your problem was, but instead of giving it to you, they were compelled by this same kind of sentiment - that it is better to listen then it is to offer your own thoughts on a given problem?

Well, I would think that such a doctor is showing contempt for their patients. To know how to help someone as a result of a knowledge that you possess, and then to refuse to help them cannot be the result of some moral good. It would have to be the result of, at best, a good intention that is actually harmful, or just a hatred and contempt for those who you would allow to suffer unnecessarily.

Now that’s well and good when we’re talking about practitioners of physical healthcare, but what about those who are practitioners of spiritual healthcare? Well if the Church is anything, it must be that, right? The Church is a curator of a divine revelation that tells us who God is, who we are in relation to him, and how God has proposed a way for us to live in communion with him who is our source of life and happiness.

God has revealed this to humanity and then charged a group of people with ensuring that that very message gets proclaimed for the benefit of humanity and is preserved from distortion. But he also added a warning which is that many people would hate the Church for being that messenger.

That is the Church’s mission, to proclaim that message as a messenger and to be unafraid of the consequences. One thing Jesus did not say is to go out and listen to the perspectives of other people, other groups, other cultures, and see what you can learn from them so that your message will be less abrasive to them.

No, he said, go and proclaim it and be prepared for the animosity and hostility of the world when you do. He said, go and be disagreeable to the world with the understanding that for those people of good will who will benefit from the message, it is worth upsetting and being hated by the rest who do not accept the message.

But today we find ourselves in a Church with significant pockets that are persuaded by an opposing “wisdom”. One that says, we need to listen to others in order to be more agreeable to them and we should refrain from speaking or proselytizing.


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