Don't Curse the Deaf

Such is the admonition in today's first reading. One of the many archaic, astonishingly specific rebukes of the Old Testament. Or is it?

What if it read, "Don't speak badly about someone when they can't hear you." Oh. That sounds a lot more relevant. My guess is that most (if not all, perhaps some saint is reading this)  have at one time or another said too much, too quickly, too meanly about someone who wasn't present.

After all, we usually don't speak badly to the person's face (and this, not always out of charity, but rather just to save face ourselves). We wait until they cannot hear, and then we let them have it! Sometimes through other people, and sometimes when we are all alone. It may be a volcanic vocabulary of rage, or just a subtle slap in the face - except they are safely out of reach, that way, they can't punch back.

Maybe we rationalize this behavior: "What they don't know can't hurt them!" or "I just need to get this off my chest!" or even "I was only joking!" But, in these remarks, who is at the center of our attention? The Lord, our neighbor, or ourselves?

In the second reading we hear the works of mercy. This is how we are to treat our neighbor, with compassion and patience (same derivative, coincidence? I think not). This is how we are to live our lent and our lives, putting God before all us, and loving others as we wish to be loved - as God loves.

Cursing the deaf just doesn't match up to our own dignity and calling as sons and daughters of the Divine King. Its not about how much injury we do not cause, but about how much good our love creates!