Our Venerable Father Joannicius the Great (846); the Holy Martyrs Nicander, Bishop of Myra and the Priest Hermas.
2 Corinthians 8:1-5; Luke 8:16-21.
Read Luke 8:16-21
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
I remember when I first started to learn to play the bass. I enjoyed the deep full sound when I played the instrument on its own, but as far as being able to hear the bassline of an actual song, I was lost. It took me a little while for my ears to catch up to my excitement and my fingers. Slowly but surely my ears were trained, and I developed the ability to distinguish various lines of music, trace them through the song and appreciate the harmonies they created. I began to fully grasp the important rhythmic and foundational purpose of the bassline of a song.
“Take heed how you hear” are the instructions from Our Lord to us in the gospel today. Our “ear training” in the world matters for how we interpret our lives and how we serve the Lord. Are we cynical, hostile, judgemental or prejudiced? Do we recognize Christ in our neighbor before us?
To work on your Christian “ear training,” focus on two practices, which although difficult, will open to you the amazing symphony of Christ’s love in the world. Firstly, increase the amount of silence in your life. We continually distract ourselves and this makes it difficult to hear and respond to the Lord. Secondly, increase the amount of time you read and reflect upon the Scriptures. One way you can count on the Lord speaking to you is through His Inspired Word. As a rule of thumb, read the Bible twice as much as you listen to, or read the news.
Let us take heed how we hear the Lord in our life, being grateful for what He has already given us and striving to increase our awareness of Him everyday!
Bible references