1. Background listening - when we’re preoccupied with doing something else, but overhear bits and bobs of a conversation. This is the hardest one to relate to in spiritual terms, but maybe it could be, for example, reading a sentence or two from the Bible and then being distracted away from it and not getting much from it at all?

2. Superficial listening - this is when we pretend to listen. So we give the expected verbal and non verbal cues (nodding, eye contact, uh huhs etc) but we’re not really paying as much attention as it seems. We could be thinking of what we’re gonna have for tea etc but it looks like we’re listening. In spiritual terms this could be like reading or praying - but going through the motions as our mind is somewhere else entirely. Or maybe when we skip past the boring / difficult bits? Superficial listening is when we are not engaged with the person / text / prayer etc at all, but it looks like we are.

3. Active Listening - when we stop what we’re doing and really try hard to listen to the words a person uses in order to understand what they are communicating to us. I guess this could be like setting aside some time to pray, listen to God, read etc but genuinely concentrating on the words in order to understand the message for us.

4. Empathic Listening - in human communication this is when we are alert and in tune with the speaker’s body language etc. It’s more intuitive, going beyond the words used and listening for the emotional message i.e listening for what is not said as well as what is said. In spiritual terms, this could be when we “really” listen - with our hearts as well as our ears? Could go on and on about this one, but maybe it’s when listening has gone past understanding, when we are completely open to becoming part of the text rather than an interpreter of the text?

Not sure if this make any sense, but these were the ideas I had last night.

click ‘December’ or ‘tools’ on the right

What is Lectio Divina!

Love
Bethan

I felt like this was a gentle call on me to pay close attention. Not to go for the obvious answers but to really listen to the subtext…what is actually being said and not what I think is being said. Not to read my own agenda in Jesus words. Tricky!

ps I had a go at sharing with my pastoral/study group at college someting of what is going on here in dream lectio. Had a go at doing lectio divina as a group - going throught the steps and then sharing a little of what God had spoken to us thought the passage. It was a rewarding experience. Has anyone had any experiences of doing lectio with small groups? Love to hear some stories.

I love the way Jesus introduces this parable. It’s as if he wants us to think for ourselves first before he gives us an explanation.

I have to confess that I sometimes get irritated by Jesus insisting on using puzzles and conundrums rather than simple straightforward teaching. And it’s easy then to just skip past the confusing bits until I get to something I “get” and like. But real listenning isn’t the same as “understanding” (I often don’t fully understand my wife Louise when I make the effort to really listen to her rather than jump to the conclusion that I know what she’s on about!)

But the whole point of these parables and puzzles is a million miles from the kind of children’s stories or illustrations we’ve often made them out to be. Its to draw me in to become part of the story as it becomes part of me. If I’ll just take time to listen, really listen.

hmmm, I sense a “dream to go” coming on…