It must be hard to be God and man. I felt that when I read today’s Gospel. Jesus is preaching and people ask him to lay his hands on a deaf man with a speech impediment. Jesus takes the man away from the crowd and heals the man. Jesus tells everyone to not to spread the word of what he had just done. Of course, the people ignored that. Jesus had to balance his compassion for people and his miraculous abilities – he didn’t want to be a producer of miracles-on-demand, a sideshow. Jesus wanted to respect the dignity of the deaf and mute man by taking him aside to heal him. Jesus wanted people to listen to him and to hear his message of love and caring. Sometimes that must have gotten lost in the glow of a deaf and mute man being able to hear and speak. Sometimes we as humans need more to believe. Jesus understood that then and now. 

In my own life, I have to focus on listening to the word of God and living it, not expecting God to produce a sideshow for me to believe. How am I showing and living my love for God and my neighbor every day? How can I respect the dignity of everyone I encounter?  I, too, often need my ears opened to hear what God is saying to me in the Gospels, in prayer. I need my inner ears opened to listen to my best self, to do the right thing with my family, my colleagues, my friends. I can feel when I start to close off that best self and do the easy thing. I don’t listen when that inner voice is cringing when I am short or rude or dismissive of those I should be attentive to.  When I think “Oh, that doesn’t really matter.” It does matter.

I pray that my ears are open so I can be my best self, to listen to God and to what does really matter. I pray that my words and my actions show respect and caring for all of those I encounter.