Main news for 23 January 2020

The author of the epistle to Hebrew expresses an interesting idea: he connects the ability of hearing and listening with spiritual maturity. Certainly, in this case it is all about that one can understand adequately certain things connected to spiritual life, only by having the corresponding experience. But is it only that? And can we consider the ability of hearing as a sign of spiritual maturity?

Certainly, it is known of all that the pupil just beginning studies, has to keep silent and listen to his teachers, and can speak only when the professor waits for an answer from him. And then comes necessarily the moment, when the pupil becomes, as we called even not so far ago "a young specialist" and also receives the right to teach the same pupils, whom he himself was recently. It is typical for a religious environment not less, than for any other: neophytes who were not long ago catechumens, are usually very talkative and very categorical.

But, if the process of the spiritual maturity takes place normally and the catechumens do not remain eternally neophytes, the desire to talk is quite soon transformed for them into desire to hear. And it is not surprising: because spiritual life is not a monologue, but a dialogue, a dialogue with God and the neighbor. And for such dialogue, the ability of hearing and listening is not less, and sometimes even more considerable, than the ability of talking.