Ears To Hear…

There is a passage in the Bible that is compelling. The evangelist , Saint Matthew, reports that Jesus gave what appears to be an admonition to his followers: “he who has ears to hear, let him hear.” In Western culture this statement suggests that one must know the rules and follow them to find the land of the spirit. Perhaps because Matthew is the patron saint of tax collectors and accountants this insight is interpreted to mean something like “get with the program.”

What if this is not the point at all.

I now believe that the meaning in this statement has to do with awareness and intention. Perhaps we are tasked with the need to become aligned with creation, its many signals of abundance and heavenly energy. We are here to hear birdsong ,the laughter of children and the sounds of the surf…to realize the benefits of heaven’s generosity. We are surrounded by miracles and we are miracles ourselves.

Lately I have ramped up my readings of spiritual texts and it is interesting to note that Westerners seem to always look to the East. Searchers are weary of religion with its rules and fearful consequences for non-compliance ; they seek a kinder, gentler path. Whether you read Thich Nhat Hanh, Ouspensky, Thomas Merton, Alan Watts or Pema Chodron one thing becomes clear: you don’t have to have a long search to find the beginning of a spiritual path…if you have ears to hear. There are miracles everywhere and they start with the simple fact that you are here.

I am on the scout for miracles.

The process of sharpening my hearing is a long one. I often want to put my fingers in my ears when horrible things happen or when frustrations accrue and I have to consciously resist the need to shut every sound out- to hear the world’s sounds as mere noise or cacophony…to entirely miss the music. American novelist Will Cather makes an observation that resonates :” Miracles…seem to me to rest not so much upon…healing power coming suddenly near us from afar but upon our perceptions being made finer , so that, for a moment, our eyes can see and our ears can hear what is there around us always. .”

As the journey continues , I will listen to the harmony.