King Nebuchadnezzar had a nightmare. He had to find out what it meant. He thought the wise men of his kingdom might be able to interpret the nightmare, but he questioned their credibility. So, instead of telling them the nightmare to be interpreted, he demanded that they additionally read his mind and disclose his dream. He even ordered that the wise men be put to death when they couldn't tell him his dream. Then Daniel was brought in. Daniel would either discover the nightmare by listening to the Lord or be executed with the other wise men. He heard God, discovered and interpreted the dream, and saved many lives.

At first, most of us don't think we are "on the spot" as was Daniel. We don't see our situation as: "Hear God or die." Nevertheless, we may be in a situation where we either hear God or see the continuing deaths of millions of babies in the womb. We either hear God or see the deaths of countless marriages and families. We either hear God or continue to be victimized by the culture of death in so many ways. We may be more desperately in need of hearing God than we think.

When we were baptized, the priest touched our ears and prayed with Jesus, "Ephphatha" (see Mk 7:34). Because of our new, baptized life, we can hear God. Therefore, let us restructure our lives to maximize our hearing of God. Let us center our lives on the Mass and on the daily reading of the Scriptures. Let us live in practical Christian community, go to Confession at least monthly, simplify our lives, and build into our lives each day a time of silence. We can hear God. We must hear God.

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, March 11, 2019

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