highlighting the two faculties - 3rd week advent Tuesday

In our first reading today from the book of the prophet Zephaniah, two of our faculties are highlighted – the faculty of hearing and the faculty of speaking.  The first faculty referred to is hearing.  People do not listen anymore – she hears no voice and thus she accepts no correction.  Listening is a very important aspect in our relationship with God and even with each other.  It is said that the commands of God are always preceded with the call, Listen, O Israel – listen, hearken.  In the letters of Paul where he puts primacy on and the necessity of faith, he says faith comes through hearing, it comes through listening.  In Mary, her listening is prolonged when the gospels mentioned that she kept these things in her heart.  Keeping things in our heart, remembering what was said to us, remembering what was done to us, the events that happened to us, is a prolongation of hearing.

I have already said this but this is worth saying again – when we were small we were told, ang bulong sa lipat, guripat.  I think it is not just the rhyme that makes this an interesting observation and remedy, but it also highlights the connection between listening and doing.  The first reading points to a very well-known disease in our relationship, not just with God but also with each other – the inability to listen to each other.  Listen to God – allow yourself to be moved, to be judged, to be challenged by what you hear from God.

The second faculty highlighted in our first reading is the faculty of speaking – “then I will change and purify the lips of the peoples, that they all may call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one accord.”  This is the promise of pure speech.  It is a reversal of the punishment in Babel.  Before Babel there was complete harmony, people can agree with one another.  With Babel there were discord, there were infighting, there were violent misunderstandings and with that relationships were broken because of what they say.

The Lord promises pure speech and with it harmony, understanding, agreement.

I do not know if this is a real Chinese saying but it says, more talk, more mistake; less talk, less mistake; no talk, no mistake.  I am not saying that we should not talk anymore.  But there is truth to the fact that many of our misunderstandings come from what we usually say, ang ginhambal naton wala nag-agi sa utok naton.  Remember this always - what we say can create misunderstanding and discord.  How we say things can also do the same.  So let us always be conscious with what we say and how we say things.

The Lord promises on his coming a listening ear and pure speech.  Let us claim these promises of the Lord for ourselves.