Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily gospels and the saint of the day.
Let’s get started! Today is Thursday, July 24th, and the gospel reading is Matthew 13, 10-17, and the scripture to reflect on is Matthew 13, 13. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. I think I would have loved to sit and listen to Jesus tell his stories.
The dictionary defines hearing as the process, function, or power of perceiving sound, specifically the special sense by which noises and tones are received.
Listening, on the other hand, means to pay attention to sound, to hear something with thoughtful attention.
Have you ever heard someone say, you might be hearing me, but you’re not listening to me?
When Jesus tells his parables, his stories have a twist.
The twist is that the meaning of the story isn’t immediately clear.
The listener has to pause a moment and let it sink in, and then maybe a light bulb goes off, and then they get it. Miles isn’t feeling well today, so I’ll be telling you the saint of the day.
Today’s saint of the day is Saint Sharbel Makalouf.
He was born in 1828 and died in 1898.
He is the patron saint of the city of Lebion.
Saint Sharbel Makalouf is the youngest of five children.
He was born with the name Yosef in northern Lebanon.
His father died when he was only three years old.
His mother remarried to a man who was a Maronite priest.
He helped his stepfather at Mass.
The family was very devout.
They dedicated their lives to prayer and fasting.
Yosef spent a lot of time caring for the family, sheep, and goats, and would often go to a little grotto to pray.
And as he grew older, his mother wanted him to marry, but Yosef knew he was called to the life of a monk. At the age of 23, he left home without telling anyone and entered the monastery.
He took the religious name Sharbel after living in the monastery for 16 years.
Sharbel received permission to move to a nearby hermitage and dedicated his life completely to prayer.
Many people came to visit him seeking his spiritual advice and healing during Mass.
One day, Sharbel fell ill.
He died eight years later on Christmas Eve.
Since his death, many miraculous healings have been credited to his intercession. Saint Sharbel was a great devote of prayer.
His dedication to prayer inspired many people.
His example could show us how daily prayer not only for ourselves but others is important. Listening is one step ahead of hearing.
It’s a skill which we have to practice.
While hearing is natural and performed effortlessly, listening is done purposefully.
We should all do better at not just hearing someone talk but listening to each other.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, help me to listen to others and most importantly listen to you and things you want me to learn to be stronger in my faith.
And help me to be better at praying daily and praying for others' needs to be closer to you.
Saint Sharbel, Matt, Calooth, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.
See ya!