A Listening Heart 
Brother David Steindl-Rast

Eyes see only light, ears hear only sound, but a Listening Heart perceives meaning.

The key word of the spiritual discipline I follow is "listening". This means a special kind of listening, a listening with one's heart. To listen in that way is central to the monastic tradition in which I stand. The very first word of the Rule of St. Benedict is "listen!" - Ausculta!" - and all the rest of Benedictine discipline grows out of this one initial gesture of wholehearted listening, as a sunflower grows from its seed.
Benedictine spirituality in turn is rooted in the broader and more ancient tradition of the Bible. But here, too, the concept of listening is central. In the biblical vision  all things are brought into existence by God's creative Word; all of history is a dialogue with God, who speaks to the human heart. The Bible has been admired for proclaiming with great clarity that God is One and Transcendent. Yet, the still more admirable insight of the religious genius reflected in biblical literature is the insight that God speaks. The transcendent God communicates Self through nature and through history. The human heart is called to listen and to respond.