I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
In my obgyn reisdency, the first few days we are taught to listen to the fetal (baby)heart sound using our stethoscope. Yes we are that medieval! But it takes a skill and training of many months as the baby is comfortably wrapped within mothers uterus in the amniotic fluid – so basically almost 4 layers which prevent the hearing of it .
The text books describe it as a watch kept under a pillow- and it does sound like that! The modern technology uses a machine called ” cardiotocograph” which is catches the sound and transmits into a machine to plot a graph for an approximation along the axis of time – so higher means faster and lower means slower heart beat. While deciphering the graph is another art form, my college being government funded had no machines during the early years of my training so I was told to find the babys back and stick your ear to the abdomen with the bell of stethoscope ( smaller side) and listen…
It was a tough exercise- both the palpate the back of the fetus through the abdomen and then hearing the heart sound! so like any diligent student i practised! I would take time out of my shift and go through all my admitted patients requesting them to let me listen and keep training myself to find the sound took me around 3 to 4 months to get there and over years its a muscle memory so much so that I cannot trust any machine but hearing the sound of fetal heart with my own ears!!!
Today Jesus implies the same, while we all want to hear and seek the Lord in our lives we are not making enough effort or putting in the practise of prayer and spending time with the Lord. This entire past week from the sunday gospel to the prayers – all said to make Jesus a priority in my day! It is a tough time to push in even 10 minutes of prayer but I think I can find it and if I stick by it soon I will be able to hear and see what my Lord is saying much more clearly!!!
Maybe if you too need to hear or see Him better, up your prayer game! Spend time praying or studying scripture or even adoration or Mass! Whatever makes you practise your faith on a daily basis and even cut back on people and events which will lead you away!! Not simple – but nothing is impossible with the Lord …
PRAYER
Thank you Jesus for leading us to your way. Guide me to spend more time and prioritise you more in my daily routine! Help me worry and stress less about what isnt in my hands and focus on you!
AMEN.