Daily Reflection for Thursday, March 24, 2022
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Thursday’s readings at this link: CLICK HERE
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Jeremiah 7:23-28
Responsorial: Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9
Gospel: Luke 11:14-23
Our Reflection on Thursday’s Reading:
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. Psalm Response
It’s a rare day when I don’t have to tell my kids that they need to listen more carefully. It drives me crazy when I have to repeat myself multiple times and they still don’t remember to turn off the lights, shut the door, put on their shoes, get their bike out of the street, etc. I know that my instructions are needed to get the family out the door, keep the house running, and turn them into good little humans. I understand why these things are necessary, but they’re caught up in their own little world or refuse out of willful defiance. In the midst of my frustration, I forget that the activities that distract them and seem so ridiculous to me are more important to them. Even though the instructions may be clear and I repeat myself multiple times, they still just won’t listen. All parents know this struggle…and so does God.
The readings today all focus on hearing God’s voice and often a failure to listen. In the first reading God’s people refuse to listen and their hearts became hard. This metaphor has always interested me and the responsorial psalm that accompanies this reading is one of my favorites. One of the other translations of this passage is that their hearts became calloused, which is much clearer to me. When our skin becomes calloused we lose sensitivity and feeling. I think that is what we lose we when don’t heed God’s voice. In our hearts, we stop having empathy and love for our fellow man. We stop thinking about others and only think of ourselves. We become selfish and want to do what we want to do, which is not necessarily what God wants us to do. Time and again throughout history, God has sent prophets to remind us of His will “so that [we] may prosper.” The Israelites did not listen and He finally sent Jesus, who is challenged and ignored in the Gospel reading. Interestingly the only figure to listen to Jesus was the demon who was silent.
Yet God has not given up on us and Jesus offers us opportunities time and again to change our ways. If the calluses on our heart have desensitized us, take an opportunity this Lent to “listen to [His] voice” and “come into His presence with thanksgiving.”
Peace and blessings,
Pete Kuester