because listening is the way to holiness

 “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan

to be baptized by him.”

~Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 3, verse 13

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“At the Jordan the heavens opened to indicate that the Savior has opened the way of salvation and we can travel it thanks to our own new birth of water and the Spirit (Jn. 3:5), accomplished in Baptism…

The commitment that springs from baptism is therefore “to listen” to Jesus: to believe in him and gently follow him, doing his will.

In this way everyone can tend to holiness… the vocation of all the baptized.”

~Pope Benedict XVI,

as quoted in Magnificat,

January 13, 2019

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I have been blessed to visit the River Jordan three times in my life, so far. But it was only on my Jordan pilgrimage that I had the exceptional blessing of having a whole hour – on my own – meandering around the banks of the River Jordan.

It was a very holy hour… dangling my feet in the water, listening to the murmur of the breeze...  taking in the soft concerto of the birds that afternoon. If you want to hear what I heard, here’s a 20 second video of my time there:

As we enter this brief, first "Ordinary Time" of 2019, here’s praying that all of us make time this year to listen more intently!

May we hear and see the Beloved in each moment, in each person, in each interruption, at each “place” we find ourselves. 

In the words of Servant of God Luis María Martínez, “For one who loves, the entire universe revolves around the Beloved; for [her], flowers scatter their fragrance, the mountains serve him as a grandiose pedestal; the waters of the river murmur his name and the stars in the firmament write it with their light.”