Do to Others

You might argue that listening is something we do well. We gather week by week and listen to sermons, listen to the choir sing, and listen to the leaders guide us through the liturgy. But are we really listening? When Jesus says, “I say to you that listen,” he is asking for something more than people hearing words. He is asking for engagement, for what some call “active listening.” Some of the things he asks of us are hard to hear. “Love your enemies” isn’t something that sits easily on our ears. So, how do we make space for active listening to the word for today?

What if before a prayer is prayed or a litany recited, there is space and direction to read and consider? The pastor or worship leader would be inviting the community to live into the words, rather than simply repeating them. “Listen to your own voice,” you might say. Claim the words we say and the prayers we pray. Claim them as your own. Wrestle with them; chew them over; let them be real to you.

When we hear this word, it comes as a challenge. We might say we don’t have enemies, but we live in an oppositional age. There are always folks on the other side, those with whom we disagree. We are challenged on how we treat them, how we speak to them, and even how we speak of them. How can we practice this as we worship together on this day? What words can we use to replace some of the ones we hear used all week long? Is there liturgy that can speak to our divisions? Are there songs we can sing that speak of building bridges rather than walls? What prayer can we learn to pray for those who oppose us, those with whom we disagree, those whom we might call enemies? What confession can we make that acknowledges our reluctance to see the other as worthy of our prayers, our grace, our kindness?

Here in this Ordinary Time season after Epiphany, we are reminded that we are seeking to follow a light that would have us live and love differently. Maybe there is space once again to make a commitment to love as Christ loves, not because we have never said this before, but because we need to hear it again from our own lips.