hard hearing
“Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” —1 Samuel 3:9
It is extremely important for us to hear God. The Lord has promised: “Had they stood in My council, and did they but proclaim to My people My words, they would have brought them back from evil ways and from their wicked deeds” (Jer 23:22). By hearing God, we can change the world, for His words are “living and effective” (Heb 4:12).
However, it is extremely difficult for us to hear God because:
- of our fallen nature,
- many of us are “not familiar with the Lord” (1 Sm 3:7),
- “a revelation of the Lord” is “uncommon and vision infrequent” in our culture of death (1 Sm 3:1), and
- even leaders of the Church are susceptible to being spiritually asleep and blind so that they don’t help us (see 1 Sm 3:2).
Nevertheless, the Lord got through to Samuel and thereby converted “the whole Israelite population” (1 Sm 7:2). Although we may be as confused as the child Samuel, the Lord in His mercy continues to open the ears of the spiritually deaf. There is hope not only because God speaks, but also because He removes the many, formidable obstacles to hearing Him.
Therefore, if you don’t hear God, admit it. Repent of your part in this. Get as much help from the Church as you can. Ask God to speak to you. Read the teachings of the Church, especially the Scriptures. Be quiet. Simplify your life. Try to hear God. God will speak to your heart in “a still small voice” (1 Kgs 19:12, RSV-CE).
Prayer: Father, open my ears that I may hear.
Promise: Jesus “went into their synagogues preaching the good news and expelling demons.” —Mk 1:39
Praise: Melanie frequently had let the TV play to fill the silent void in her house. When Jesus came into her life in a greater fullness, she turned off her TV and found peace and comfort in His presence alone.
Reference:
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from December 1, 2025, through January 30, 2026. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio May 7, 2025"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.