Psalm Reflection: The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B

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

If.

IF.

IF we hear His voice.

That is a BIG “if.”

Being able to hear God is not something we are ever promised. God is always speaking to us and seeking us out, but He respects our free will and will not go where He is not invited.

We can choose to listen for God’s voice, or we can choose to listen to ourselves.

Are we listening?

Before we can even address or begin to worry about hardening our hearts, we need to first be in a position to hear God speak. 

How often do you pray?

How much of your prayer time is spent listening instead of talking or asking?

Can you distinguish between God’s voice and your own thoughts?

There is also a third party involved in all of this, and that is the Enemy. Satan wants to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8), and desires nothing more than to separate us from the love of God. Unfortunately, in today’s world he does not have to work very hard, because we all are constantly distracted by a rectangular demon that aids him in his mission: the screen.

All day we work on computers, we have screens in our cars to navigate, phones in our pockets, smaller screens on our wrists, tablets to play with or create on, and giant screens in our living rooms, all with the ability to distract us, “entertain” us, and essentially waste our time.

There is an unfathomable amount of content out there to watch and listen to that it would take several lifetimes to consume it all. There are roughly 3.7 million videos posted to YouTube alone every single day. It is everywhere, all competing for our attention to watch and listen, because our time and attention means money for them.

At any given moment, we can have a song or a podcast in our headphones, a screen in our hand, and a mind that is totally washed out by noise and incapable of hearing God speak.

It seems like it is easier to listen to everything but God. Everyone else is competing for our attention in order to use it for their own benefit. God will not come barging in through the noise to circumvent our free will. The one who created us with the ability to hear will not force us to hear Him. God will always be right there when we are ready to listen, but He desires much more than our momentary attention or entertainment: He wants our hearts.

Do you want to hear God’s voice?

Unplug.

Log off.

Quiet down.

Fast from your phone, screens or noise for a certain portion of the day.

Allow yourself to become more comfortable with silence.

Listen for the still, small voice of the Lord speaking His love into your life.

So many people experience anxiety and worry in this world. I think a large portion of that is due to an abundance of choices and no clear idea of which path to take.

If you want peace in your life, eliminate other choices and avenues for stress in your life. 

Listen to one voice instead of the many.

And then, when you hear His voice, harden not your heart.

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

Matt

This reflection is based on the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, January 28th, 2024, which is The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B: Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9.