“This is
a nation that does not listen to the voice of the Lord, its God.” One might
wonder if these words from today’s first reading might have crossed Jesus’ mind
at some point during the events of today’s Gospel reading. Jesus, who continues
the saving mission of God, and brings it to its fulfillment, meets with the
same rejection that God faced from the people of Israel. The crowds reject his
power, either by attributing it to Beelzebul, or by demanding that he perform
another sign “from heaven”. They refuse to accept the presence of God’s grace,
and in doing so, their hearts become hardened to the truth of God’s presence
among them in the person of Jesus Christ.
It might
be easy for us to look at today’s Gospel, and laugh about how the people just
didn’t get it. However, Jesus’ words to the crowds at the end of the Gospel
should give us pause for further reflection. They are a reminder to us that there
is no middle ground when it comes to following Jesus-There can be no half-hearted
attempts at Discipleship, no lukewarm recognitions of his message- we are
either with him, or we are against him. The choice is ours to make- Do we
accept the power and Grace of God present in our lives, and allow it to work in
us and through us? Or do we reject this power, and choose instead to turn our
backs to God, allowing our hearts to become hardened?
Truly
listening to God’s voice can be hard, because God calls us to do things and go
places that we might not like to go. It is in these moments that we need the
reminder of today’s Psalm response: “If today you hear His voice, harden not
your hearts.” In keeping these words in mind, we might be truly able to respond
to that voice in Love, and not reject God’s word.
This
message to not allow our hearts to be hardened is especially timely, since we
are roughly halfway through our Lenten Journey. This “halfway point” gives us a
chance to stop and reflect on how our journey has gone thus far. Perhaps things
have gone well, but If things have not been going as well as you had hoped,
don’t give up! it is not too late. Make the most out of the time you have left,
and ask God to help you soften your heart, so that you may become more open to
hearing his voice each day.
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