The Holy Spirit cautions us in Hebrews, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…”(Heb 3:7-8). This scripture verse continues with a reminder of God’s address to the Israelites in possession of hardened hearts, “as in the rebellion, as on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors put me to the test, though they had seen my works for forty years” (Heb 3:8-9).
Sound Check
Today we must ask ourselves, as well: Are my ears and heart hardened to the voice of God? Am I in rebellion against Him? The Israelites wander for forty years in the desert going nowhere all because their hearts rebelled against God, and they continually grumbled against Him. Despite all the miracles He worked on their behalf, they continued to defy Him.
Today, we possess over 2,000 years of Church history, miracles and blessings to look back upon. Do we defy Him, nonetheless? Do we grumble against Him? Against His Church?
His Sheep
Jesus says in St. John’s gospel, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep” (Jn 10: 25). He continues saying, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand” (Jn 10:25-28). Are we His sheep? Do we follow His commands? Do we hear His voice?
St. Paul, too, appeals: “Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end” (Heb 3:12-14). St. Paul is strongly encouraging us, here, to assist one another in living out our daily faith according to the teachings of Christ and His Church with firm understanding while there is still time to convert.
Souls Without Ears
To St. Faustina, Jesus reveals:
There are souls with whom I can do nothing. They are souls that are continuously observing others, but know nothing of what is going on within their own selves. They talk about others continually. . . Poor souls, they do not hear My words; their interior remains empty. They do not look for Me within their own hearts, but in idle talk, where I am never to be found. They sense their emptiness, but they do not recognize their own guilt, while souls in whom I reign completely are a constant source of remorse to them. Instead of correcting themselves, their hearts swell with envy, and if they do not come to their senses, they plunge in even deeper. A heart, which thus far is envious, now begins to be filled with hate. And they are already at the edge of the precipice. They are jealous of my gifts in other souls, but they themselves are unable and unwilling to accept them. . . Give Me, give Me your heart.
Divine Mercy In My Soul: Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, #1717-#1718
A Contrite Voice
Lent is the perfect time to check our hearts, realize one’s sins and to confess them. We do not want to be like the Babylonians going down “to the slaughter” spoken of in Jeremiah 50:23-30 to their eternal damnation all because of their arrogance in sin. For scripture is clear: obedience is better than sacrifice; rebellion is as much a sin as divination; and being stubborn about one’s sin is regarded as iniquity and idolatry before God (1 Sam 15:22-23).
Confidently go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. True contrition of one’s sins merits God’s mercy and forgiveness via his ministerial priesthood. Through the priest, standing “in persona Christi” (in the person of Christ), your sins are washed away (See Jn 20:21-23). And as Christ says to the woman caught in adultery—after no one else dares to cast a stone at her on account of their own sin—“Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again” (emphasis added, Jn 8:7-11). Take heed. Hear His voice. Especially this Lent, when the doors of his sacrifice and mercy are held wide open to each of us, we would do well to enter, be healed and enjoy new life in Christ.
