Certain readings cause me to have some trepidation when said in mixed company—and by mixed company, I mean people with Boston accents and those without. The words “harden not your hearts” are not only a challenge for some people to say, but they are also something we all need to guard against.
Fidelity to God, belief in God, is something that we all can agree is how we are made to live. However, as we hear in Holy Scripture and may personally experience, we don’t always remain faithful to God as we should.
A Warning from God
In the letter to the Hebrews, Saint Paul draws from Psalm 95, which is recited each morning in the prayer known as the Invitatory during Morning Prayer. Each time we pray, it is a warning from God not to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors in the faith by hardening our hearts in rebellion as they did in the desert.
That Psalm warns and reminds us of God's judgment that we will all face. Saint Paul encourages those who receive his message, including us today, to take care so that none will have an “evil and unfaithful heart so as to forsake the living God.”
Hope Rooted in Jesus
But as challenging as Saint Paul can be, he always offers hope rooted in Jesus. His words, “Encourage yourselves daily while it is still ‘today,'” made me wonder: How do we encourage ourselves and our families to be faithful to God and not develop stony or hardened hearts?
Depending on our situations, family, friends, classmates, co-workers, and other factors, we can become hardened or cynical with how life is going. And that usually leads to us entertaining and sometimes falling into sin. It is disappointment, suffering, or a sense of unfairness in life that can lead us to this point.
The antidote to hardness of heart and discouragement is found in the Gospel of Mark in the story of the leper. The leper was a man who not only suffered physical disease and disfigurement but also social isolation and poverty. Yet, he believed that Jesus cared enough to heal him.
Just as in the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law, Jesus heals the leper through His touch and words. As difficult as that man’s life had become, when he was in the presence of Jesus, he felt hope in Jesus’ power to heal him.
Encourage Yourselves Daily
To daily encourage ourselves and our loved ones, we need to open our hearts and minds in prayer and through reflection on the Word of God. We need to soften our hearts through receiving the forgiveness of God and being able to grant forgiveness to others.
If we want to have healthy and holy hearts, we need God’s grace and nourishment that we receive through the Eucharist. And, as Saint Paul concludes, “We have become partners in Christ, if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end.” That’s our encouragement to finish strong with Jesus, each day, until we see Him face to face.
- Father David's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
- To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Consider inviting others to join too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)
