catapult magazine

Ears to hear

by Joanna Shumaker

I turned up the radio as I sang along to a haunting song about flying away to the angels of heaven.  I cried as I felt the emptiness for the loss of my brother.  Comfort did come from the vision of him resting in the arms of the angels.  But why did I feel this anguish again?  He died many years ago.

It is because songs can transcend time and space and touch our hearts like no other medium. 

Our hearts need to be touched by other songs that cry out to us.  Children sing in their dusty villages, hoping for a future.  Mourners in a funeral procession wail in a war-torn country, hoping for peace.  A beggar sings on the street, hoping his voice will provide his supper.  These are the songs of suffering.  They are calling us to listen and respond.  But we often turn deaf ears to the sound of sadness, adversity and need. 

We no longer hear such songs because they are drowned out by the clanging of prosperity and indifference.