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Psalm Reflection: The Third Sunday of Lent - Cycle A

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Psalm Reflection: The Third Sunday of Lent - Cycle A

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” - Psalm 95

If.

It is such a terrifying word when you think about it. We spend so much of our time thinking about “what if” questions:

What if I had made a different decision?

How will this affect my future?

What if I never find what I am looking for?

Questions like this permeate our faith as well. The danger and the weight of “if” in the spiritual life reminds us that so much depends on us. 

The Creator of the universe who can literally save us from death and destruction is offering us everything our hearts long for, but we can choose to reject Him. We can chose not to listen or be open to His love. We can lose all that God is offering us simply if we choose not to receive it.

In the center of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling is the painting of the Creation of Adam by Michelangelo. In the painting, God and Adam have their arms extended to one another and their fingers are almost touching. When you look closely at the hands, you will see that God’s finger is fully extended, but Adam’s finger is bent. 

Adam could touch God and make contact if he extended His finger all the way.

We are all in Adam’s position. God, our Creator, is reaching out to us to offer us an abundant life on earth and eternal life in Heaven. He is reaching out as far as possible, but to the point where we still need to reach out and touch Him. We have a choice to meet Him there or not.

“If today you hear His voice” means that there is a chance we will not hear God because we are too concerned with other things. We are often not even listening in the first place. If we do manage to hear God’s voice, then we also need to listen and receive His words with open hearts and not harden ourselves in pride or stubbornness.

Faith is not going to fall in our laps. Faith is a daily choice to reach out to God who is reaching out to us, and to listen and to receive His love, no matter what it may compel us to do.

It is a big “if,” one with eternal ramifications, so we cannot afford to miss the opportunity every day to make the conscious choice to listen for God’s voice and to follow Him.

This week, spend some time making an effort to hear God’s voice. Spend 15 minutes per day in silence or with Scripture, prayerfully listening for the Lord to speak. Write down what you hear and receive it with openness and docility. When our hearts are hardened it is usually because we are comfortable and unwilling to change. The Season of Lent is designed to help us detach, get uncomfortable, and recognize our constant need to change so our hearts are more conformed to the Lord. So, let this Lenten season be one you fully enter into, today is not too late to start.

I am praying for you, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt

MANNA is a ministry creating blogs and podcasts to encourage and inspire others to grow in relationship with Jesus Christ and live out their Catholic faith.