Friday 25 May

Acts 25: 13-21, Ps 103, John 21:15-19

Loving speech

Thich Nhat Hanh speaks of ‘loving speech’ and ‘compassionate listening’ as having the capacity to build deep and nourishing relationships. We see an example here in the dialogue between Jesus and Peter. Jesus knew how Peter felt after denying knowledge of his Lord. And so he listened with loving compassion as Peter responded, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” With this intimate exchange, their relationship was restored.

Let’s take Jesus’ example and commit to loving speech and compassionate listening today.