"The word of God does not belong to him who hears or speaks it, but to him who puts in into practice." St. Giles

One of the judgments of God against the Chosen People was not that they had not heard the word, but that they did not put it into practice. It was the same in Jesus' time. The religious leaders refused to accept the word he shared with them., Recall the scribe who came to Jesus seeking to know the most important Commandment. Jesus said it came down to Love of God totally and love of neighbor. When the scribe acknowledged this, Jesus said he needed to take the next step and live it. It is not that we don't know what God has spoken to us through his word. It is that we don't always act in accord with his word. That is because like the people of old, we hear with our ears and know in our heart but we choose not to act on it less we have to change our ways.