What does it mean to listen? A person may claim to be listening, but their actions reflect only hearing—a physiological process in which ears merely detect sound waves. Alternatively, listening is an intentional and conscious effort to embrace, process, and fully comprehend the meaning of another person’s words.

As a student teacher, I watched a class of busy, excited Kindergartners move from hearing to listening on the first day of school. My master teacher spoke to her students at a conversational volume, then continually lowered her voice. She asked them to sit down, which seemed far-fetched given most of the children spoke Cantonese, Vietnamese, Spanish, or Hmong as their primary home language; however, within a few minutes, they observed classmates, sat down, quieted their bodies, and began to listen. Mrs. Ichida’s students were excited, but even as young as age four, they knew they needed to listen to learn.

Today we read, “Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.” (Mk 6:20). The translation and historical meaning of listen may be different today, however while reading, I thought about how Herod heard John but was not listening. His actions did not reflect someone who truly listened—making a conscious and intentional effort to understand how God calls us to live.

How is God speaking to us, and how are God’s words manifested in our thoughts, words, and actions? Are we truly listening? Let us remember, “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (Jm 1:25).