. . . it is Christ who speaks through human agents-the less overpowering they are, the more attentively the abbot must strain to hear what they say. The same principle applies here that Benedict enunciates concerning the poor: The terror that great ones inspire assures them of respect (53:15), but it is in listening carefully to the little people, the young, the marginalized, and the inarticulate, that Christ is more especially honored. Even the scoundrels of the community, supposing that there be some, are to be heard, since they often read situations more acutely than those blindly committed to the preservation of the status quo. . . . God will not abandon any who whole-heartedly seek to know God’s will in truth. God will in everything show them the way according to his will. For those who turn their heart to God’s will, God will enlighten a little child to speak his will.
Such listening has an element of vigilance in it. Its greatest enemy is not rebellion or rejection but inattention. We can easily be distracted by dominant cares and anxieties so that we forget to pay attention to the messages that life brings us, in events and the actions of others as well as in words. Somehow or other our concentration relaxes and our powers human of attention are not engaged. Like the goats at the final judgement we protest that we were unaware of the challenges presented to us, but, frighteningly, this excuse is invalid. As Benedict’s first step of humility reminds us, it is our task to remain focused on finding God’s will and conforming to it. This is proactive form of listening, constantly cocking our ears for the slightest sound as if our life depended on it — as indeed it does.
Michael Casey, OSCO
Strangers to the City, p. 93
