Dear Friends of Carmel Mission,
In the Gospel this weekend (Mk.7:31-37), Jesus restores the sense of hearing to a deaf man. As a result, the man can speak clearly and people can understand his every word.
My mom recently celebrated her 95th Birthday. For the last ten years she has been using hearing aids. She has never been happy with them, and removes them when no one is nearby. Sometimes, she will just use one of them. What surprises us, her children, is how she is seemingly able to hear us speak in hushed tones about something that we would prefer she did not hear! This usually occurs when she is without both hearing aids.
We look at each other, wondering if a miracle has just occurred in our presence, but then we agree that she possesses the remarkable gift of “Selective Hearing “!
I realize that I myself have a similar gift, which I use frequently. I choose to turn a deaf ear to those with whom I disagree. I cannot wait to change the subject to something of my choosing. It used to surprise me just how many people are gifted with Selective Hearing, but now I’ve come to realize how prevalent this gift is. Some people don’t even realize that they possess it. Yet they use it!
Perhaps you yourself have been given the ability to practice Selective Hearing?
Would it be mistaken for me to say that “we all do it “?
As Simon and Garfunkel sing in “The Boxer”,
“A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest”.
Some do it as individuals, some do it invoking the name of an Institution, dare I say Church? There will come a time when each of us will have to account for our use of Selective Hearing.
Do you hear what I’m saying?
Fr. Paul
Pastor at Carmel Mission