36 Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, 38 the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 Just as weeds are collected and burned [up] with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.
(Matt 13:36-43)
HEARING WITHOUT LISTENING
The Gospel of today is set apart from the discourses that precede and follow it. This particular episode is set inside the house. The crowds have been dismissed and Jesus was alone with his disciples. His disciples ask him to explain one of the parables narrated to the crowd and he does explain it. He ends with the words “Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
This reminds me of the time when I was a young aspirant in formation. There were times when we tried to catch other aspirants off-guard whether they listened to the gospel reading in the morning mass. We just rang off with “What is the Gospel for today?” Then those who did not know it (those who either forgot or did not listen at all) would be left with a sheepish look. That made them aware and resolve to be more attentive next time.
The last words of the explanation to the parable reminds us “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel. We hear the lines “And in the naked light, I saw/ Ten thousand people, maybe more/ People talking without speaking/
People hearing without listening…” It is possible that people hear without listening. This often happens. We give announcements; everyone hears but not all may have really listened. Hearing may be involuntary; listening, voluntary.
This is a big challenge. Social media has made this more complicated. People do not anymore care to listen, matter how reasonable you may be if they have made up their minds. People would watch more Tiktok and Youtube rather than read well-researched books and articles. People would listen—but only to messages that do not require effort to understand and digest.
As Christians, this is one task and disposition that we should not give up on: the task to teach or move others not only to hear but to really listen to what the Lord says. May our words not fall on deaf ears, nay more, on ears that do not listen.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. When I am in church, do I listen to the Scriptural readings and to the homily?
2. What messages do I find in the world especially in social media? To which of these do I listen?
Lord, open my ears to hear your word in what is happening in this world.
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