What type of listener are we?

Parable of the Sower

The usual Sunday Mass turned out to be quite unusual. Last Sunday’s homily, on the Gospel according to St. Luke (Chapter 8, verse 4 to 21), was about the Parable of the Sower or technically the parable about the soil. There are four types of soil which represents 4 types of listeners. The first are the closed and hardened ones who are absolutely impenetrable. People who usually belong to this group are those that think highly about themselves. The second type is classified into two: the spaced-out and the pretentious listeners. The spaced-out are wandering minds. The cliche “physically present but mentally absent” applies to them. the pretentious are obviously pretending to listen. They are those people who nod their heads all the time but actually understands nothing or perhaps a little. The third type is also divided into two: the judgmental and the selective. The former is about those whose mouths are faster than their brains. The latter are those who feel listening only if they benefit from it directly. Other than that, it is just a waste of time.

The forth and final type is the ideal type, which is classified into three: the informative (which appeals to the mind), the communicative (which appeals to heart) and the transformative (which appeals to the soul). If we are able to listen by getting our facts straight, taking it to heart and by doing so would urge us to take action and change our lives and impact other people significantly, then its about living the human spirit.