If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.
The readings at morning mass are getting a bit tedious. From Numbers we hear the Jewish people
complain to Moses: Give us water; give
us food; give us meat; get us out of here!
Moses was considered one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament,
but in hearing the reactions to his “greatness,” I don’t envy him. God gave the Jews everything they asked for
--- but not before they asked, but still, in ways better than they could even
have THOUGHT to ask --- still, they complained.
They complained because they were not like God, getting what they
wanted, when, how, and where they wanted.
Poor Moses, a shepherd with not one lost sheep, but with 99 lost ones,
all searching for what they want, unable to pray as they should: Lord, what do YOU want?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells Peter he is the rock Jesus
will build His church on (Mt 16:13-23).
Peter, like Moses, will be a shepherd of God. But the Gospel passage isn’t even complete
when we hear Peter complaining to Jesus: “No, it can’t be that way, Lord. I want it my way.” And then Jesus then tells Peter, who He just
had rated so highly: “Get behind me, Satan!
You are a hindrance to Me; for you are not on the side of God, but of
men.” Good grief! The first thing the “leader” Peter says, in
effect, is “Okay, I’m in charge; so here, God, is what I want You to do for me.” Peter was blessed to be in charge all right,
but he didn’t understand of who, how, when, and why he was in charge. He didn’t understand because he couldn’t stop
demanding his ways; he didn’t understand because he didn’t ask, didn’t listen,
for God’s ways.
If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.
The Jews couldn’t listen; Peter couldn’t listen. I guess it shouldn’t be any surprise when I look
in the mirror and see that I am not listening either. But that’s the whole point of these readings
and Gospels, repeated over and over again at mass --- and in my own readings,
if I am persistent in prayer --- they are all saying over and over again: Listen!!
And do I? Or am I
only hearing what the Jews and Peter said: “Okay, Lord, here’s what I
want. And I want it now!”
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Today is the feast day of Saint
Dominic, who gave us the rosary prayer.
It grates me whenever I hear someone complain that they can’t pray like
that, repeating the same words over and over, rattling them off. Do
they really think that Saint Dominic said: “Here are some words I want you to
rattle off over and over again; they’ll be good for you.” Really?
You think he said that? Listen!! What he said was to “meditate” on the mysteries
of the rosary. Do you think the word “meditate”
means rattle over and over again the same thing? You need a dictionary. There are words to the rosary which you can
put on your lips, the Hail Mary prayers, but you could just as easily substitute
“Jesus, I love You, or Jesus I trust You,” or just “Jesus”. Then with these words on your lips, in your
heart you meditate, you pray, you speak to Jesus, you reflect on those
mysteries of His life and what they mean.
THAT is the rosary prayer. It is
a conversation, which means not that you say rattled off words, or that you say
“Here’s what I want You to do, God,” it means that you meditate on the
mysteries. Mysteries, things without
simple “Here’s what I want” answers.
Things of God, which are beyond our understanding. Things we need to listen for, over and over
again, to take them into our heart. The reflections
are trying to understand not what WE want of God, but what God wants --- of
us. The European Union and leaders of
this country are saying that they’ll treat everyone the same and give everyone
what they want ---- but we are NOT all the same, and even if we want similar
things, they are not the SAME thing. We
are each a unique son of God, with a unique purpose in life. And what is that? What is MY purpose? Why do I exist, uniquely, in this world? How can I find out?
“Speak Lord, your servant is
listening.” We need to listen, and find
out. Really listen. And then,
If today you hear His voice; harden not your hearts.
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