It is 25th September 2017. The readings are from Ezra 1:1-6; and the Gospel from Luke 8:16-18. When people fail to listen to the voice of God within them, they may not enjoy freedom and liberation. The rebuilding is possible when we are willing to listen to the voice of God. Listening is the most crucial for learning personally, socially and emotionally. We stick to what we believe when we find hard to listen within and around. The integral healing of humanity is possible for all those who are willing to listen even the dissent from the others. It is easy to listen to what pleases our minds and lives. It is indeed a challenge for everyone who would be willing to those bitter and painful stories of our broken humanity within each one of us and around us. We cannot heal the brokenness in us and around us with taking the invitation of the Lord to listen deeply and respectfully. Listening is the ingredient and fiber of our human relationships. Listening is in itself healing. We are given more and all the more when we listen nonjudgmentally and we lose everything if we do not listen to ourselves and around. We need to listen to the prisoner and the stranger within every one of us. In the first reading, we read about king of Persia named Cyrus who listened to the voice of the Lord and freed them to build a temple for God. God speaks to God-fearing and truthful leaders. If the leader promotes his agenda of lies and hatred, he/she may not heed the voice of the Lord because his/her own voice is louder than the feeble voice of God. The leader who refuses to listen to the voice of God makes the people in captivity of all kinds. The responsorial Psalm praises, “What marvels the Lord worked for us.” (Ps.125:3). In the Gospel, Jesus advises us all to listen. “Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.” (Lk.8:18). Our listening influences and modifies our thinking; our thinking produces the actions; the action speaks the ambiences of the hearts. Our unprejudiced listening heals the world in us and around us. May God bless each one of us to listen more and more often than now. May you have a good day.