FSC Associate Article
Are You Really Listening?
Presenter: Sr. Janice Keenan, OSF Saturday, August 23, 2025
By Mary Mosser, FSC Associate
We started our day with the prayer; Are You Really Listening? Sr. Janice reminded the Associates and Sisters gathered in Marian Hall of the telephone game that many of us played as children. To play the game, a message is whispered from person to person. At the end, the message is repeated aloud by the last person, and the game participants can see how the message has changed. One thing that the telephone game teaches is the need for careful listening.
There are numerous distractions in our lives that hinder us from listening effectively. We routinely check our phones for notifications, emails and messages, even in the middle of a conversation. Many of us fall into the habit of preparing a reply while the other person is still speaking. Also, our brains listen and process spoken words faster than the person who is speaking, which may cause our minds to wander. We have to train our brains to listen in a different way with compassion and humility.
For our Associate group day, Sr. Janice wanted to give us the opportunity to learn how to become better listeners using a couple of small group exercises. Before we did the exercises, Sr. Janice gave us pointers, including, be open to the Spirit, take turns speaking, encourage the speaker with open questions, validate the speaker’s feelings, give the speaker feedback, not advice and don’t judge the speaker or what they are saying.
For the first receptive listening practice, we used the story from the Gospel of John 21: 1-14. In this story, Jesus appeared to seven of His disciples after His resurrection. The disciples had gone fishing but caught nothing all night. At dawn, a man on the shore told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. When they do, they catch an overwhelming number of fish. This miracle prompted John to realize: “It is the Lord!” On the shore, Jesus prepared a charcoal fire with fish and bread, and invited the disciples to “Come, have breakfast.”
The Miraculous Draught of Fishes
By Raphael (1515)
We divided into small groups to reflect on the Scripture passage from John’s Gospel. Our question for reflection and sharing was: “Where have you been surprised by the presence of God working in your life recently?”
When it was my turn to share, I told the group that I had been surprised by recent encounters with people. One example of this happened about a week before our group day. A woman with a small dog seemed to be waiting for me at the park where I walk my dog in the morning. She introduced herself then apologized for her dog who had startled my dog, causing me to fall when Bailey pulled me off balance. Some months had passed so I barely remembered the incident. Also, I hadn’t realized that she didn’t apologize back then, but it was clear that the incident had affected her.
After we had been in our small groups for a bit, Sr. Janice asked us to evaluate how we were doing. She asked us if the speakers were feeling heard and validated. She asked if the listeners were talking too much or too little. She asked if there were any changes we could make or skills we could learn.
For our second exercise, we used the story from Matthew 14: 22-33 which was the story of Peter walking on the water. After feeding the 5,000 Jesus had gone up to the mountain by Himself to pray. The apostles were in their boat, a few miles offshore, being tossed about by a storm. Jesus came toward them, walking on the sea. Peter asked Jesus to command him to walk on the water, so Jesus did. Peter did as Jesus commanded but became frightened by the strong wind and began to sink.
St Peter Walking on the Water
Alessandro Allori (1590s)
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Our question for reflection and sharing for this exercise was: “Which character in the story do you relate to the most?” I shared with my small group that I felt like one of the disciples in the boat who sat and watched everything unfold. This feeling comes from the belief that I should depend on myself. Because of this belief, I often don’t ask for God’s help when I should.
After the small groups had been together for a bit, Sr. Janice again asked us to evaluate how we were doing.
When we finished the first two exercises within the small groups, Sr. Janice shared her own stories with us, then gave us one more reflection exercise to do on our own. This exercise was about being still and listening to God. The questions she asked us were: How are you at listening humbly to God? How do you sense that you are hearing God speak to you? How do you know when God is directing you or encouraging you?
Sr. Janice wrapped up her presentation around 11am so the Associates and Sisters could get ready for 11:15am Mass in the Sacred Heart Chapel. Our devotional renewal as Associates of the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago took place as part of Mass.
Prior to Sr. Janice’s presentation, I hadn’t spent much time thinking or reflecting on how I listened to others or to God. Sr. Janice’s presentation reminded me of the importance of being fully present when others are speaking. As I recommitted to the Associate program of the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago, I remembered how God directed and encouraged me with each step towards my initial commitment. There is always room for improvement in my listening skills, but I’m happy that I listened to God’s encouragement in becoming an Associate of the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago.