Do We Hear, or Do We Listen?

I am often accused by my husband of not listening—and honestly, he's completely right. Too often, I find myself locked in my own world, trapped in my own head, and completely oblivious to what he or others around me are saying. Can you relate?

Recently, I went through a powerful prayer process promoted by ACTS XXIX, a fantastic ministry based out of Detroit, Michigan. The process involves sitting in deep, extended prayer with the Lord over the course of about four days, asking Him four specific, foundational questions about your life. To say the experience was transformational would be a massive understatement. (I will leave a link at the bottom of this post so you can check it out for yourself!)

Without unpacking the whole journey here, I want to share the profound answer I received from the Lord during the very last session. My final question to Him was:

"Lord, after all the things You have unfolded over these days, what is the one thing I need to do?"

His answer was immediate and clear: “Listen.”

In that moment, He wasn’t just telling me to listen to my husband (though upon reflection, that is still excellent advice, as he is very wise! 😊). This word was profound in a much deeper way.

The Lord was specifically calling me to be attentive to His "still, small voice" (1 Kings 19:12). He was inviting me to pay close attention to Him, to notice His subtle nudges, and to return to prayer in the intimate way He had taught me years ago. He was calling me to actively look for the hand of God in my daily life.

Often, the Holy Spirit speaks to me through scripture, number patterns, or what the world calls "coincidences." But as people of faith, we know better. I like to call them "God-incidences."

Today brought a beautiful God-incidence. During my morning prayer time, I was reading the daily scriptures. The reflection book I use only listed the citations, so I pulled up the readings online. Right there, staring back at me in the Gospel Acclamation, was the confirmation I needed:

"Alleluia, alleluia! My sheep listen to my voice, says the Lord; I know them and they follow me. Alleluia." — John 10:27

This is a very familiar passage, but one specific word jumped off the page and struck my heart: listen.

Many translations of this verse use the word hear, so this subtle difference sent me down a beautiful "holy rabbit hole" in prayer. I began to look at the actual difference between the two actions:

• To Hear: Simply means to perceive a sound with your ears. It's passive.

• To Listen: Means to give active attention to something you hear. It requires intention, focus, and a response.

As Catholic scholars like Dr. Mary Healy often point out when discussing the charismatic gifts of the Spirit, prophecy and hearing God aren't about waiting for an audible booming voice from the clouds. It is about tuning our spiritual ears to the frequency of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus doesn't just want us to hear Him as background noise in our busy lives. He wants us to listen—to pay attention, to recognise His voice, and to actively follow where He leads.

What about you? In the noise of today, are you just hearing the Lord, or are you truly listening?

Resources for your journey:

Discover the transformational ministry of ACTS XXIX.
https://watch.actsxxix.org/speaklord

Dr. Mary Healy Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@dr.maryhealy