Listening While Thinking

What I say to young people who ask about meditation is this: if you want to really listen to someone, don’t you stop focusing on your thoughts, on what is going through your mind, so that you can pay attention.  Think of the times that you have to ask, “What?” As in what did you say, because you were not listening?  You were tuned into your thoughts, your agenda, and not available to listen to another person.  Well think of God as this Other who wants to communicate with you.  In order to pay attention to God, you have to first stop focusing on your thoughts.  This is what meditation practice is for beginners.  And what might God say?  Well, you will soon find out that God is action more than words.  God acts in silence for one who is paying attention.  Even if you “feel” nothing, God is at work and feelings are not very good indicators of God at work.  God is deeper than feelings sometimes and will take you there if you wait and practice each day.