9th January 2024. Tuesday of the first week In Ordinary Time. Yr. 2. 1Sam. 1:9-20/ ps. 1sam 
2/ Mk. 1:21-28.
– A teacher once entered her class (class 1) and asked all the pupils to draw anything that came to their minds each on a slate. As the teacher was collecting the slates, she identified one strange drawing of a little girl. There were only two white dots on the black slate. The teacher became angry. She called the girl lazy, made the whole class hoot at her, and gave her five lashes. But then, during the break time, the girl out of shame remained in the classroom weeping. The teacher approached her and asked her why she drew only two dots on the slate. The girl then explained to the teacher that there were not two dots on the slate but rather “the two eyes of her black cat in a dark room during the night”. So she had actually painted her black cat that was back at home. The teacher’s interrogation should have preceded her judgment for her to attain a certain knowledge. She fell into a hasty judgment.
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– we see the attitude of this teacher in the Priest at Shiloh called Eli. Instead of asking Hannah why she was behaving and acting the way she was doing, he jumped into conclusion and said she was drunken woman. It was until Hannah had explained her mannerisms that Eli‘s eyes got opened.
– A lot of us act like the teacher in the story and Eli in the first reading. We walk around having cooked and wrapped answers in our bags and pockets. Before a person will speak, we’re thinking about our answers for the person. Our society is getting really sick with this attitude. A lot of relationships, friendship, and family ties are breaking because of our inability to first listen to people before giving them answers and passing judgment on them. Royal child of God, the supposed two dots you have seen on the black slate of the individual you are watching may actually be the eyes of the black cat in a dark room. The supposed drunken woman you are seeing may actually be a pius lady who is seriously beseeching her God for a breakthrough. Let us cultivate the attitude of listening to people. Seek to know why people do what they do. You can’t know it all. There’s too much “noise” in the world. Do not add up to it. Listen instead to people. May God grant us all the listening ears so that we will pray for people rather than finding fault with them and condemning the innocent. Please, once again, learn to LISTEN! God bless you
Rev. Fr. Raphael Acquah
Truly: whatever God does is good
