Open Mouth

Learning to listen to layers of conversation

08/03/2019

Matthew 14:1-12 Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him.” Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

Invariably when people speak, they reveal not only their opinions about the world outside of them, but they also give clues about the world inside of them. With every word we utter, we unveil the hidden world of our hearts. Every time we open our mouths we open our hearts and we say something about ourselves. Have you ever caught these two levels or layers of every conversation?

When I was studying canon law, we had a very astute professor who taught us a subject called “temporal goods.” Think of it like the equivalent to “church economics,” dealing with the church’s worldly possessions, buildings and bells, rectories and real estate, etc. He related a story when he visited the Vatican for a canon law conference and spoke with an Italian bishop. The Italian prelate scoffed: “Why are you Americans always obsessing about money?” To which my professor replied: “Why are you Italians always obsessing over sex?” It was a memorable exchange not only for what the two canon lawyers said but also for what they implied. When we obsess or talk too much about something it reveals a deeper restlessness in the heart. Open mouth, open heart.

Below every external conversation there stirs an internal conversation, that is, our conscience. Listen to how the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the conscience. We read in no. 1776: “Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment…” Then it concludes: “There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.” In other words, if you learn to listen very carefully to any conversation, you can catch not only what someone says out loud, but what God whispers in the heart, where “God’s voice echoes in his depths.”

In the gospel today we can hear how Herod speaks on these two levels: on the surface but also from his depths. Matthew records: “Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, ‘This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him’.” The evangelist goes on to recount why Herod said that, namely, he had John the Baptist beheaded and he felt exceedingly remorseful and guilty. Could you catch both the external conversation but also the internal conversation in Herod’s conscience, “where God’s voice echoes in his depths”? If Americans obsess over money and Italians obsess over sex, then Herod obsessed over the murder of John the Baptist. In other words, attentive students of the scriptures attune their ears to hear at least two levels of every conversation: the external and the internal, the voice of the speaker and also the voice of the Spirit. Open mouth, open heart.

Being aware of these two levels or layers of every conversation can be helpful to us as Christians. For instance, we have all tried to help another person face some flaw or weakness or sin. John Maxwell, a leadership expert, says: “Care enough to correct.” But as you make helpful suggestions, be aware that God’s voice is also speaking in the other person’s depths. In other words, you don’t need to feel alone in trying to help a spouse or a son, a parent or a priest overcome some problem. God is trying to help them, too. So, in a sense, you can relax and not feel alone. You speak on the outside, and God speaks on the inside.

I find this insight helpful when I hear people who are venting frustrations or anger or even hate in the public square. They are not only saying something about the subject at hand, but also saying something more subtle about their hearts. In other words, hurtful words often proceed directly from hurting hearts. Say a prayer for people who post hateful things on social media.

One day President Abraham Lincoln was visiting a field hospital during the Civil War. An orderly came running into the room and crashed into the 16th president of the United States and both men crumbled to the floor. The orderly shouted, “Why don’t you look where you’re going, you tall, lanky buffoon!?” Lincoln calmly replied: “Young man, what’s bothering you on the inside?” Lincoln had learned to listen to the two levels or layers of every conversation. He knew every time someone opens their mouth, they likewise open their heart.

Praised be Jesus Christ!