Do you hear?

We are living in a noisy world. Our hearing is flooded with noises of all kinds so much so that we have become practically deaf. Of course, to defend against the invasion of 'unwanted' noises, we choose to hear selectively.

There are different kinds of noises. Some are propaganda trying to persuade us and through repetitions, even brainwash us or simply to desensitize us. Some are misinformation / misrepresentation to crowd out the truth. Some play on our emotions, such as fear or sympathy, to impose their will upon us or to blackmail us. What frustrations hearing brings us! No wonder we develop a habit to hear selectively to protect ourselves.
The examples listed above are noises from the outside but very often, we make noises for ourselves. Nowadays, we can see many people listening to their music in public places with earphones or even a headset. These people know how to enjoy life and do not spare their senses a moment of rest. They must have all their senses fully occupied in order to make life full. Other people are fully occupied with greed, lust and ambition. These too generate a lot of inner noises to crave for these vices. Thus all of us are deaf in different degrees.

Being a Catholic, I want to be able to hear the voice of God. Unfortunately, God speaks so softly that His voice is overcome most of the time by other noises. I want to find a quiet place in order to hear Him better. Unfortunately, what I hear are a lot of inner noises coming from my psyche. I want to speak to some saintly priests to attain peace in my soul. Unfortunately, I am too busy to afford the time. I want to read some spiritual books to obtain inspiration. Unfortunately, I fall into drowsiness before I am able to finish a few lines. I am in a shabby shape and in need of the Lord's delivery.

In the gospel reading today, we heard of Jesus on the run. He had antagonized the Jewish authority and in order to stay away from troubles, he wtihdrew into Gentile regions: Tyre, Sidon and Decapolis (Mark 7:31). That did not stop him from working miracles, driving out demons, healing the deaf-mute and multiplying loaves to feed the hungry. Saint Mark wrote his gospel for Gentile readers. It came as no surprise that he included these miracles in Gentile soil to show that Jesus' mission is for all humanity. Even in his self-imposed exile, Jesus cared about the needy, be they Jews or Gentiles.

I know very little about the world deaf people live in. All I know is that it is a silent world. Human beings have relied on their sights for survival so much that hearing becomes secondary. The deaf are even deprived of this sense so that they are always living at the perils of impending dangers around the corner. e.g. a screeching car or a collapsing roof. They are not able to share the intensity of the laughters of their friends and their ability to articulate the subtlety of feelings is limited by the sign language they speak. On the receiving end of the channel, ordinary people know only a little. Deaf people must be very frustrated and lonely in their daily life. Therefore, after being healed by Jesus, the deaf-mute must have felt a kind of liberation, an unprecedented freedom and ability to build up relations with his fellow villagers.
Of course, for people isolated by misunderstanding, their frustration is no worse than the deaf-mute. To reestablish the communication channel takes effort and perhaps even external help. Unless you are prepared to live in an isolated lonely world of silence, you had better reach out or to seek help. Open your heart to hear the voice of God.

Dear Lord, open not just my ears, but also my mind and my heart. Fill my heart with Your loving grace and my lips will sing praises to You. Amen.