Well Said: Listening as a gift of self

The silence of listening is a form of attention, a gift of self to the other, and a mark of moral generosity. It should manifest an awareness of our humility so as to agree to receive from another person a gift that God is giving us. For the other person is always a treasure and a precious gift that God offers to help us grow in humility, humanity, and nobility.

I think that the most defective human relationship is precisely one in which the silence of attention is absent.

Cardinal Sarah, The Power of Silence

I struggle with this. It is so hard to not be thinking of what one wants to say in response instead of simply listening and giving the person one's full attention. And yet when I do, it is rewarding.