You Only Learn By Listening

It’s always a pleasure to pick up echoes of St. Benedict’s teachings in unexpected places. 

Nihar Malaviya —the CEO of Penguin Random House, the largest book publisher in the U.S. — grew up in Rajkot, India, and moved to the U.S. when he was 13. He doesn’t come from the Benedictine tradition, but listen to what he said in a recent interview:

“Coming to the country at a young age basically meant I had to completely change my worldview. I went from somewhere where this was very important to somewhere where this completely different set of things was very important. That created in me a respect for looking at different perspectives and the ability to take those in to shape my thinking. I like to learn. And you only learn by listening.”

St. Benedict also valued learning, prescribing set times for the monks in his community to read each day. And like Mr. Malaviya, he knew that you only learn by listening, for the first words of his Rule are “Listen and incline the ear of your heart.” Apparently, St. Benedict took to heart the words of God recorded in scripture regarding the transfiguration of Jesus: “This is my beloved son. Listen to him.”

Listening to Jesus calls us to completely change our worldview and transition from a societal regard for wealth, power, status, and self-interest to God’s regard for generosity, humility, service, and love of neighbor. As we listen to Jesus, can we take in his perspectives to shape our thinking and use it as a model for the way we live?

As our Lenten journey continues, may risk entering more deeply into the attentiveness of prayer so we can hear what Jesus is saying to us through Scripture, the Rule of St. Benedict, and our neighbors, as well as in our own heart.