Listening to another person might be the greatest act of compassion you can perform. It is the easiest way to welcome someone into your heart. When I listen, I am accepting an invitation to become part of another person’s story. I am saying, “Yes, your story is important and needs to be heard. I want to make your story part of my own.” But all too often, I find myself dismissive of other people. I might be too busy. I might not like what I hear; their story offends my sensibilities. When I dismiss another person’s story, I am dismissing them. I rob people of their dignity by ignoring them.

Imagine how St. Scholastica must have felt. She had been enjoying her conversation with her brother Benedict — whom she only saw once a year — and she asked him to stay the night so they could continue their conversation. He refused, saying that his rule forbade it. Benedict ignored her story, which was really his own story, a story about how much he meant to her. But God did not ignore her. A furious thunderstorm erupted that night that prevented Benedict from leaving. God never ignores us. And since we are made in the image and likeness of God — if we are to imitate Christ — then we are called to listen to others.

- Excerpted from Little Lessons from the Saints by Bob Burnham