Eyes, Ears, and the Word of God

In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus ends His instruction to the crowd by saying: "Whoever has ears ought to hear." Later, Jesus speaks to the disciples about the crowd, saying, "…they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand."  

Jesus talking about ears and eyes reminded me of a trip my Dad and I took this past Tuesday. He went to see an ear doctor, and on the way home, I stopped to pick up my distance glasses. Ironically, I was driving! I'm glad to report that we're both doing better with hearing and seeing, thanks to the help we received from medical professionals that examined each of us to determine what was preventing one from hearing and the other from seeing clearly beyond arm's length. In my Dad's case, it was due to an obstruction preventing the sound waves from reaching his eardrum. And in my case, I needed to replace my 15-year-old eyeglass frames that had worn out and broken.  

Obstructions and Distractions

Sometimes, we have trouble hearing the Word of God because we have obstructions outside our hearing systems. Obstructions like distractions that prevent us from being able to absorb the parables meant to teach us why we need to listen to God. Other times, the Word of God is blocked because we place the world's way of life and values above God's way for all sorts of reasons.  

Likewise, we can have impaired vision when it comes to our lives and our loved ones too. Our ability to see clearly: right from wrong, good vs. evil, and where we are invited to go by God, especially long-term, can be blurred, making it hard to focus on the good and the final destination. 

Jesus uses the metaphor of the sower, the seed, and the soil to convey God sowing His life-giving Word into our souls. And, from it, we know that we want God's Word to fall on the rich soil because that's what produces an abundance of fruit, exceeding what we would ever expect or hope for in our lives.  

Soul Search

The question we need to ask ourselves is: how is my soul? Is it prepared to receive God's Word today? Well, the good news is that we're here at this Mass in the presence of God in Word and Eucharist. But where are we in terms of receptivity? Do we have any barriers to hearing God's Word? Have we created our explanation for what God teaches about life, death, and everything in between? Are we willing to let God show us something new, or are we resistant to changing our current way of life and thinking about it?   

Just so you know, these questions apply to everyone from the youngest to the most senior, from people who are "Cradle Catholics" to people who are considering joining the Catholic Church; married, single, religious order members, priests, deacons, bishops, and yes, even popes all have to ask themselves these questions. The reason is that the Word of God is essential to our lives here on earth and our making it, one day, to Heaven.  

God's Word teaches us about what really matters in life. But Jesus doesn't think for a minute that we aren't subject to falling away from following His teaching. That's the whole point of the parable. Jesus knows that we struggle with outside forces and internal weaknesses. 

Tilling Fertile Soil

So the next question is, what can we do to have rich and fertile souls? For most, as infants and children, it begins with being baptized and cleansed of original sin. For others, it starts by hearing God's call to talk to someone about faith in Jesus and the Catholic Church and then learning and entering.  

Next, our souls are prepared by making time to pray, talk, and, more importantly, listen to God each day, not just once but to pay attention throughout the day. And, as a bonus, when we're doing this, we can better sense when we've fallen short of God's way and need to be forgiven and strengthened in Confession. This sacrament of healing is like the medicine my Dad is taking to remove the blockage of his eardrum. Except the effect of this healing grace is immediate. Upon receiving absolution and performing the penance, our souls have been thoroughly cleaned. 

Finally, if we want our souls to be fertile ground, and if we can, we need to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. For in Holy Communion, we take Jesus into our bodies and souls. We allow Him to strengthen, heal, and nourish us as only He can. If, for some reason, we are unable to receive Holy Communion, then we are able to have spiritual communion with Jesus at Mass and Adoration. (He gave us these sacraments because He knows how much we need them.)  

Divine Physician 

Last week, Jesus told His disciples they should be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. Sometimes, we mistake peaceful simplicity for weakness and a lack of sophistication. In reality, we find what we want peace and hope by listening, discerning, and acting upon Jesus' Word without trying to complicate it with our objections and rationalizations. 

One last thought here about my Dad and my recent experiences: He knew his hearing was impaired by my need to shout at times, everything sounding like it was in a tunnel, and the effects of this in being unable to enjoy conversation, music, movies, and life in general. Home remedies and time didn't work. He needed a doctor with experience, skill, and compassion.  

My brothers and sisters, Jesus is our Divine Physician, the One who loves us and will teach us what we need to know. Jesus wants to heal and strengthen us if only we make the time, keep our appointments, like this Mass, and give Him our undivided attention.  

May God bless you and your families this holy day as God asks us—Are we listening?