April 29, 2003
by Maria Luisa Torres

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Rowan Williams, returned to "Ground Zero" in lower Manhattan for the first time since 11 September 2001, to preach a sermon on the spiritual significance of listening to God and to one another.

He was speaking on 28 April at the opening Eucharist of Trinity Institute's 34th National Conference, at Trinity Church Wall Street. He addressed a capacity audience, and heard the premiere of a musical setting to one of his poems. The service - and the full proceedings of the conference - can be seen and heard on www.trinitywallstreet.org.

On September 11, Archbishop Williams, other guests at a Trinity Television taping and the parish's staff were forced to flee the area after the collapse of the south tower of the World Trade Center. He undertook to return for the Trinity Institute conference while he was still Archbishop of Wales. The conference theme is "Shaping Holy Lives, Benedictine Spirituality in the Contemporary World."

"We tend, all of us, to try to solve our problems by more talking, and less listening," said Archbishop Williams in his sermon.

"As you read the Rule of St Benedict, what you see being defined before you is a method for creating a listening community. And not simply a community of people who are all listening to the same thing...but a community of people who are listening intently to each other.

"It's one of the many ways in which the Rule of St Benedict tells us what the community of Christ's disciples should be: a community of persons listening intently to each other, so that they can listen to God; listening to God intently, so they can listen to each other."

But, he asked, what do we listen for? And what are we listening for in each other?

"We have a listening God, who, as we pray, listens his way into the very depths of what we are...and so we too listen like that - or we try to, because the strange thing about listening is that it is working with all our energies and powers so that we may do nothing," said Archbishop Williams. "We need not only the example, but the power and spirit of God, to help us listen our way into the truth."

We are hungry for truth and wisdom, he added, which can be discovered only by exposing ourselves to a listening God, and listening to one another in turn.

"'Listen, child,' says the Rule of St Benedict - so let us do that," he concluded.

At the offertory, Trinity's organist and choirmaster, Dr Owen Burdick, premiered his setting of Rowan Williams' poem, Bach for the Cello. Dr Burdick composed the music in honour of the Archbishop's visit and dedicated it to the Revd Dr Frederic B Burnham, the retiring director of Trinity Institute.

Archbishop Williams has written or edited more than 20 books on theology and spirituality, including "Writing in the Dust," a reflection inspired by his September 11 experience.

Other Trinity Institute speakers are authors Joan Chittister, Kathleen Norris and Laurence Freeman.

Anglican Communion News Service