Session 5: Lunch - Listen With the Ear of the Heart

Welcome back, my friend. This morning, we began Day 2 with the story of Samuel hearing God call his name. We reflected on his simple response: “Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.” We also began exploring the first word of the Rule of Saint Benedict: Listen.

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Now it is midday, and I want you to stop whatever you have been doing and notice how much you have already listened to today. Conversations. Phones. Music. News. Emails. Traffic. Coworkers. Family. Your own thoughts. Your worries. Your plans. From the moment we wake up, voices compete for our attention. The question is not whether we are listening. We are always listening to something. The deeper question is: What has my attention, and what is it doing to my heart? For the next thirty minutes, we are going to step away from some of that noise. If possible, have your lunch with you. Put your phone aside. Turn off the television. Let this meal become another small monastery in the middle of your day. Take a slow breath. [PAUSE - 10 SECONDS] And another. [PAUSE - 10 SECONDS] You are here. God is here. And for these next few minutes, you do not need to say very much. You simply need to listen.

A Prayer for Open Ears

Before we eat, let us pray. Heavenly Father, You know how easily I become distracted. You know how many voices compete for my attention and how often I listen without truly hearing. Quiet my mind during these next few minutes. Open my ears, but even more importantly, open my heart. Help me recognize Your voice among all the other voices in my life. Teach me to listen to You in Scripture, in silence, in my conscience, and in the people You place before me. Give me the humility to hear things I may not want to hear and the courage to respond when You call me. As I receive this meal, let it remind me that I depend upon You for everything. Teach me to receive this food slowly, gratefully, and attentively. Amen.

Ten Minutes of Silent Eating

We are going to eat in silence again today. Yesterday, our silence helped us become more aware of God's presence in an ordinary meal. Today, use the silence to practice listening. Before you begin eating, notice the sounds around you. Perhaps you hear birds. Traffic. An air conditioner. The movement of people nearby. Maybe the room is almost completely quiet. Do not label the sounds as good or bad. Simply notice them. Then begin eating slowly. No phone. No reading. No television. No unnecessary conversation. Just eat. As you eat, notice what happens inside your mind. You may discover that your thoughts are louder than the room around you. Plans may appear. Memories may appear. Worries may appear. You may suddenly remember something you need to do. You do not need to chase every thought. Let it pass. Return to the meal. Return to the silence. And occasionally return to this prayer: “Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.” We will now eat together in silence for ten minutes. [SILENCE - 10 MINUTES]

What Silence Reveals

Welcome back. What did you notice? Maybe you discovered how rarely you eat without some form of entertainment. Perhaps your mind was busy the entire time. Maybe you became restless after only a few minutes. Or perhaps the silence felt peaceful. Silence often reveals what noise allows us to avoid. When everything becomes quiet, we begin to notice what is happening inside us. We notice our fears. Our impatience. Our sadness. Our desires. Our gratitude. Our anger. Our hopes. This can be uncomfortable, which is one reason people sometimes avoid silence. Noise gives us somewhere to hide. Monastic life does the opposite. It gently removes some of the noise so we can see what is actually happening in the heart. But remember, silence is not the destination. Silence creates room for something deeper. Listening. The monk does not become quiet simply because quiet is pleasant. He becomes quiet because he wants to become attentive to God.

The Ear of the Heart

This morning, we heard Saint Benedict's beautiful instruction from the beginning of his Rule: “Listen carefully… and incline the ear of your heart.” Let us stay with that phrase for a moment. The ear of your heart. There is a difference between hearing words and receiving them. Someone can tell us something important, and we can immediately become defensive. Someone can offer advice, and while they are still speaking, we are already explaining why they are wrong. Someone can tell us that we hurt them, and instead of listening, we begin defending our intentions. We hear the words, but the heart remains closed. Benedict asks for something more. To listen with the heart means allowing another voice to reach us deeply enough that it might change us. This is especially important in our relationship with God. Sometimes we approach prayer with a list. God, help me with this. Fix that. Give me this. Protect this person. Solve this problem. There is nothing wrong with bringing our needs to God. Jesus Himself teaches us to ask. But imagine a relationship where one person does all the talking. Eventually something essential is missing. Prayer also needs moments when we simply ask: “Lord, what do You want me to hear?”

Why Listening Can Be Difficult

Sometimes we do not listen because we are afraid of what we might hear. Perhaps God is asking you to forgive someone, but you would rather hold onto the resentment. Perhaps you know you should apologize, but your pride keeps resisting. Maybe there is a habit you know needs to change. Perhaps you need to spend more time with your family. Maybe you need to slow down. Maybe you need to stop chasing something that has taken too much control of your life. Perhaps God has been quietly calling you toward something good, but you keep postponing it. Listening becomes difficult when we suspect the answer may require something from us. Saint Benedict connects listening closely with obedience. In fact, the word obedience comes from a root connected with hearing or listening. Christian obedience is not mindless submission. It begins with hearing God and becoming willing to respond. Samuel did not say, “Speak, Lord, and then I will decide whether I like what You have to say.” He said, “Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.” That is a courageous prayer.

What Have You Been Hearing Today?

Now let us look back over your morning. Who spoke to you today? What did you hear? Did someone ask for your attention? Did someone try to tell you something that you dismissed too quickly? Did you feel a quiet movement in your conscience about something you should do or stop doing? Was there a moment when you knew you should be more patient, more generous, more truthful, or more loving? Do not force an answer. Simply ask: “Lord, was there something You were trying to show me this morning?” [SILENCE - 1 MINUTE] Now ask another question: “Was I listening?” [SILENCE - 30 SECONDS] Whatever comes to mind, simply notice it. You do not need to condemn yourself. This week is about learning. And learning to listen takes time.

Remove One Source of Noise

For the rest of this afternoon, I want you to practice a very simple monastic discipline. Choose one source of unnecessary noise and remove it for a few hours. Perhaps it is social media. Perhaps it is the television. Maybe it is news. Maybe music is always playing in the background. Perhaps you constantly listen to podcasts. None of these things is automatically wrong. We are simply creating some room. You might drive somewhere today without anything playing. You might take a ten-minute walk without your phone. You might sit outside for a few minutes and simply listen. Or perhaps your greatest noise is not external at all. Maybe it is the constant internal argument you are having with someone who is not even in the room. If so, release that conversation for the afternoon. Ask yourself now: What noise can I set aside so my heart has more room to listen? [SILENCE - 1 MINUTE] Choose one. Keep it simple. Then follow through.

Closing Prayer

Let us finish our midday session in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank You for meeting me in the middle of this ordinary day. Thank You for this food, this silence, and this opportunity to stop. My life is filled with voices, and I admit that I do not always choose carefully which ones receive my attention. Teach me to recognize the voices that lead me toward fear, anger, pride, comparison, selfishness, and distraction. Give me the wisdom to turn away from them. Teach me instead to listen for Your voice, the voice that leads toward truth, mercy, courage, humility, forgiveness, and love. Give me the ear of the heart that Saint Benedict describes. Help me truly listen when another person speaks to me. Help me listen when my conscience speaks. Help me listen when Scripture challenges me. And when silence feels uncomfortable, give me the courage not to immediately fill it. Let silence become a doorway through which I learn to hear You more clearly. Amen.


Remain quiet for one final minute. Do not speak. Do not ask for anything. Simply make yourself available. “Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening.” [SILENCE - 1 MINUTE] When you return to your afternoon, try not to immediately fill the silence you have created. Carry a little of it with you. Listen to the person in front of you. Listen to your conscience. Listen to the quiet movements of your heart. And remember Saint Benedict's invitation: Listen with the ear of the heart. We will meet again this evening, when we will look back over the day and ask a simple but important question: Did I listen?