I was surprised last summer when after a routine hearing exam I was told I have a hearing problem. Since that time I noticed that I do have a hearing problem and someday may need a hearing aid. My unknown hearing problem might explain a few things like why I talk so loud. People with hearing problems tend to talk loud. Also my difficulty hearing is why I cannot sing. In church I just mouth the words of a hymn so not to throw off people around me. I have been accused of talking too much and not hearing. There is some truth to my talking too much and interrupting persons. However, I do hear what people are saying but process the words too quickly and jump too early to a response.

After telling a parable Jesus in the Gospel would often say let those who have eye to see and ears to listen see and hear. This type of hearing and seeing, behind the words, I believe I am good at. This is the type of hearing that many people want to avoid these days. When someone says “Marquette Teaches Killing” few ask what this means and is it true. Most do not want to hear this statement so just dismiss or ignore it. Actually some years ago when I was encouraged to look into ROTC, military training at Marquette, I did not want to find out what it meant. I just looked into it because good people said so. But what I saw and heard what is happening at Marquette I could not ignore what I believed in conscience to be morally wrong.. I have no choice, with my present conscience, but to break the silence on this issue.

In an online discussion I started on this subject of Marquette Teaching Killing, I had a Marquette University alumnus now a distinguished lawyer say that politicians make moral judgments about war not the individuals. Tomorrow I may send him this quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel. Refusing obedience to civil authorities, when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience, finds its justification in the distinction between serving God and serving the political community.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2242) He made other statements contrary to the teaching of the Catholic Church. In all his Catholic education at Marquette he did hear about the ‘priority of conscience’ over any directives of the government. (#2242)

The The Cry of the Poor is also something hard to hear. Someone else wrote me today telling me how complicated and involved a decision to give money for vouchers to St. Vincent De Paul conferences. What is so complicated, if the decision is made, to give money to a group when 100% of the money goes for vouchers for beds, appliances and furniture for those in need.

Maybe what I need is more silence. After all if it was not for the silence between words, words would not make sense. More silence, fewer words may be good for all of us and lead us listen and act.

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