Disunity is a terrible thing - it tears communities apart and sets one person against another.

So often it starts through backbiting, gossip, power struggles, selfishness, and misunderstandings. This is what happened to the nation of Israel - it divided into two kingdoms barely on speaking terms. They would never be together again. So often this happens in workplaces, church communities, and families. We need to be very careful of word and action and always keep lines of communication open. Community is a precious thing and we destroy it at our own peril.

'Be opened!' This is what Jesus commanded when he healed the deaf man. He recovered both physical hearing and the ability to speak. He was overjoyed - so much so that he disobeyed Jesus and went around telling everyone. The people were astounded, but there is also a message for us. There is another way that Jesus can open our ears - he can enable us to listen to others with respect, attention, and compassion. So often our ears are either filled with the noise around us or with our own thoughts. Do we really listen to others? Do we use our faculty of speech well or do we use it in destructive ways? We take our ability to hear and to speak for granted. Perhaps we can treat it with more gratitude and respect and with a resolution to use these abilities for the good of others.