“He who is of God hears the words of God.  The reason why you do not hear is that you are not of God.”

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St. Gregory the Great calls this passage “frightful.”

 “He who is of God hears the words of God.  The reason why you do not hear is that you are not of God.” (Jn 8:47)  The same saint says, “If he who is of God hears the words of God, and he who is not of God cannot hear His words, then let each one ask himself: ‘Do I take the words of God to heart?’  In this way, he will know to whom he belongs.  Truth Himself tells us to long for our heavenly homeland, to curb the desires of the flesh, to pass up the world’s glory, to stop seeking what is not ours, but be generous with what we do have.”

“He who is of God hears the words of God.”  Certainly, many hear the words of God… but without profit.  So we understand the word “hears” as more than the response of an eardrum.   Those who hear the words of God indeed “hear” with the ear but, and more importantly, they bear them in their hearts.  Those who hear the words of God hear His words in scripture, in prayer, in temptation, in Holy Mass; and, hearing, they embrace, cherish, and practice them.

Gregory asks us to consider within our own soul how we hear the words of God.  He says there are some who do not trouble to listen to the commands of God even with their bodily ears.   Others, he says, listen but do not embrace them with any firm desire of the soul.  And there are some who indeed freely receive God’s words – who are even brought to tears by them – but after their tears dry up, they return to their evil ways.

“The reason why you do not hear is that you are not of God.”  St. Gregory says, “They do not in truth hear the words who take no thought to put them into practice.”

So we read in other scriptures, “Faith without works is dead” (Jm 2:26); and “If you love Me keep My commandments” (Jn 14:15); and “Blessed rather are they who hear the word of God and keep it” (Lk 11:28).

The Season of Lent is quickly coming to a close.  The readings of Lent are getting longer and soon we will hear those long Passion accounts.  Let us be sure we hear these holy words with profit.  Let us listen to them with our bodily ears, draw them into our heart, attach them to our soul, and put them into practice.  May these holy words foster tears of sorrow for our sins, sorrow for our sloth in overcoming them; but, also, let them strengthen our hope.  For if, indeed, we have a God who has suffered and died to bring us into eternal life, Who even now feeds us with His own Divine Life, Who is already predisposed to forgive the repenting sinner, - if, indeed, all this be true - then we have firm reasons to never despair or lose heart.