Lesson of the Week: Open Ears

My dear brothers and sisters, today's readings remind us of that hearing something and listening to it are two different things. Let's explore them further. In today's First Reading, part of Isaiah's prophecy of the Suffering Servant, Our Lord reminds us that sometimes he needs to open our ears, just like he did to Peter in the Gospel today.

Sometimes, we can take that for granted, and if we don't put it into action, we soon stop listening to God's Word in our lives, and instead, it becomes just more noise in our ears. The Suffering Servant takes the blows received for serving God, knowing that God is on his side and that his service has a more significant meaning.

He doesn't complain or give God a hard time about his suffering to fulfill his mission because he knows the Lord is at his side. Our Lord also teaches his disciples in the Gospel today that the prophecy of the Suffering Servant refers to him. Suffering is part of the Christian life, and suffering leads to salvation.

In today's Second Reading, St. James underscores the inseparable connection between faith and work. They demonstrate that we have not merely heard Our Lord's word but truly listened. The Word of God calls for repentance, baptism, and action. As St. James reiterates today, listening to God's Word propels us into action. If we remain passive, merely hearing God's word, our faith will remain weak and fail to transform our lives or the lives of others. When our works mirror our faith, it is a testament that we are truly listening.

In today's Gospel, Our Lord gives the disciples a pop quiz to test their level of active listening. Peter, known for his outspoken nature, promptly answers Jesus' question: you are the Christ. Peter has indeed listened to the first part of the message. The disciples have taken a step closer to Our Lord; they've been active and listening, drawing them closer. In contrast, the crowd, while present, hasn't made an effort to draw closer to Jesus. They've merely 'heard' things about him and are curious, but their level of active listening is lacking.

Jesus' disciples have passed the first test, and Our Lord opens his heart to them and explains how salvation will work. It was time for another lesson. Our Lord is the fulfillment of all the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah, and he reveals to his disciples something the Jews would never have imagined just by reading the Old Testament: the Messiah had to suffer and die to save the world.

St. Peter's response to this revelation stirs up our hearts to one degree or another when the Lord opens our ears, and we listen to him. Peter couldn't imagine that Jesus could do anything other than become a great military and political ruler. He was hearing but still needed to do a little more listening to Our Lord.

After Our Lord saw his disciples believe he was the Messiah, he opened his heart to them, and St. Peter spoke a little for all of them and said the Messiah didn't act like Jesus said he would. Therefore, the disciples failed the second test. God had opened their ears, like the Suffering Servant in the First Reading, but, unlike the First Reading, they were rebelling about what they were hearing. This failure to fully listen to Jesus led to their misunderstanding of his true mission and teachings.

Jesus knew that this lesson, the lesson of the cross, was the most crucial lesson of Christian life. It's an important lesson that Jesus says something shocking to Peter when he tries to convince him not to take the path of suffering and the cross. He tells him he thinks as men do, not as God does, and tells him he is like Satan: that little whisper in our ears that tells us that life should be lived without suffering, without crosses.

Jesus backs up his lesson about the cross with a promise: whoever loses their life for Him and the Gospel will save it. Everything we sacrifice in this world, big and small, will lead us to a fuller and more fulfilling life.

Hearing Is Different from Listening. Listen Up!

Listening and hearing are two different things. Hearing means something within earshot is buzzing in our ears. Listening means cocking our head, trying to get your ear a little closer, trying to understand what you're hearing. Hearing is something passive—the noise pops into your ears. Listening is something active—it requires a decision on our part. We've all received our faith as a gift—by revealing Himself to us, the Lord has opened our ears to hear and listen to His Word.

Our ears have been opened, too. When we listen, the blows of day-to-day life come, some big, some minor, but Our Lord teaches us how to face them. We must have the same attitude as Our Lord: We must not rebel or turn our backs on God or his will. We must continue to have faith and trust that he is at our side and asking us to take on these sufferings for the greater good.

Don't Nurse a Grudge, Foster a Reconciliation

Isaiah's prophecy in today's First Reading also serves as a gentle nudge, reminding us of the importance of forgiving our neighbor's injustices. If we allow ourselves to be consumed by sinful wrath, it will lead to our condemnation. We have all experienced the temptation to nurse a grudge against someone and to be too angry to forgive.

As we nurse a grudge, we stop listening to our better judgment or the counsel of friends and family who are not fuming. Our anger drowns out good advice. Let's not forget that Cain heard the Lord but stopped listening to him when he slew Abel (see Genesis 4:1-10).