Commissioned: Testimony: Your Story for Their Earنموونە

Listen to Their Story

Before listening, do not say a word, interrupt no one in the midst of speaking.

Sirach 11:8

Two videos in our series are about sharing the Good News with others: (1) telling our story, and (2) telling God’s story. Both these stories are essential; but there is also a third story—their story. The best evangelization usually involves listening before speaking! If we don’t know what questions a person is asking, we probably won’t be giving them meaningful answers. Often, we want to proclaim the Good News right away, but asking questions and spending time in conversation will make us much better proclaimers when the time comes.

Jesus showed us how to do this in John, chapter 1, in his encounter with the first two men who would become his disciples. These men had heard John the Baptist call Jesus “the Lamb of God,” and this could have been a great introduction to a sermon from Jesus on who he was and why he’d come, and a call to commitment. But instead of preaching to the men, Jesus asks them a question, “What are you looking for?” Their answer was very revealing: “Where are you staying?” They wanted to spend time with Jesus and see what he was really all about. And Jesus answered the question they were asking: “Come and see.” After a day with Him, the two were ready to proclaim: “We have found the Messiah!”

Pope Francis, in his book about sharing the Good News, gave us some helpful direction about listening.

We need to practice the art of listening, which is more than simply hearing. Listening, in communication, is an openness of heart that makes possible that closeness without which genuine spiritual encounter cannot occur. Listening helps us to find the right gesture and word which shows that we are more than simply bystanders. Only through such respectful and compassionate listening can we enter the paths of true growth and awaken a yearning for the Christian ideal: the desire to respond fully to God’s love and to bring to fruition what he has sown in our lives. The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium) #171.

A friend once told me the story of a time he engaged in conversation with a quiet young man whom he met in a coffee house. Seeing that the young man looked withdrawn, my friend shared his testimony and marched through the story of Jesus with him from a little booklet. The young man sat quietly through it all. My friend was feeling very good about the fact that he’d been able to share so much. Then the young man looked up and said to him, “My mother just died today,” stood up and walked away.

We can’t assume we understand a person until we listen. Never accept a label in place of a story. We become effective sharers when we become good listeners.

Stop, think and pray:

Let’s prayerfully think through how a spiritual conversation with a friend might go:

1. Ask about their life
2. Give them my full attention
3. Listen carefully to what they say, not thinking about what I will say
4. Reflect back, ‘This is what I hear you saying…”
5. Ask clarifying questions
6. If something from my experience with God is relevant, share it with respect and compassion