Listen

“Listen with the ear of your heart.” St. Benedict

I watched someone close to me begin to lose their hearing. I wondered about it and how would this person hear the sky, the city and the small things we take for granted. In the classes I teach, sometimes the phrase selective hearing comes up. It is a strange phrase that refers to the fact that some people only hear what they want to hear. Those who have lost their hearing would probably love to hear anything. I thought of this when I heard the gospel with Jesus allowing the deaf-mute to speak. Back in elementary school, we had a special class for the deaf and they had hearing aids and challenges of some sort. What we take for granted, like crossing the street, for others is a challenge. Today there are sirens, people yelling and even the annoying habit people have of listening to their videos and social media on their cellphones without earbuds - and they have the volume blaring. We live in a noisy world.

“Confession is a soul’s bath. Even a clean and unoccupied room gathers dust; return after a week and you will see that it needs dusting again.” St. Padre Pio

Once during confession, someone recounted how the priest told them that they could not hear God’s voice because every road seemed block and stalled. The priest had told this person that God sometimes blocks things so that we are forced to listen. God is not in the noise of our busy days which are filled with nonsense. God is in the silence. Elijah thought so when he wanted to hear God and it was in the gentle breeze, not the wind and fire and noise. God moves in silence. Are we listening?

“Hearing nuns’ confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn.” Fulton J. Sheen

He was before my time but when I read about him, I laugh to myself. He must have been remarkable the way he spoke. We need to listen to everyone and not judge. It is a long and arduous road. But we must listen on the way. The deaf can hear kindness. Can we hear it? St. Francis de Sales is said to have helped teach the faith to Martin, a deaf mute, using a signing system they created together. It is said that he made the sacraments available to him. As a result, this Martin was led to lead a holy life in God. Sometimes, When I say something to someone, they do not remember me saying it because likely they were a victim of selective hearing. It is only in the silence that we can hear God speaking to us. Are we listening to others and to God or are we simply feigning listening? It is a long discussion.

The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today.” St. Francis of Assisi