On May 29 in his message on Communications,  Pope Francis said “From the pages of Scripture we learn that listening means not only the perception of sound but is essentially linked to the dialogical relationship between God and humanity. “Shema’ Israel – Hear, O Israel” (Dt 6:4), the opening words of the first commandment of the Torah, is continually reiterated in the Bible, to the point that Saint Paul would affirm that “faith comes through listening” (cf. Rom 10:17). The initiative is God’s, who speaks to us, and to whom we respond by listening to him. In the end, even this listening comes from his grace, as is the case with the newborn child who responds to the gaze and the voice of his or her mother and father. Among the five senses, the one favored by God seems to be hearing, perhaps because it is less invasive, more discreet than sight, and therefore leaves the human being more.”

As SSNDs “we develop in ourselves and others a critical sense regarding the communications media; we use them with discretion and creativity. (YAS GD 34) While appreciating the value of this message, we focus on how all the ways God speaks to us.