Harden Not Your Heart

The WORD today reminds me that I should not harden my heart for Christ. 

They say that a person decides wether to accept God or not. God will always be there to call us and welcome us. He calls each and everyone of us. However, the decision to accept him is ours to make. The decision to welcome him or to harden our hearts towards him is a decision that is ours to make. 

Christ wants us to follow him wholeheartedly, if we don’t, it’s like not following him at all. Both the first reading and the psalm reminds us not to harden our hearts to God. Welcoming God brings great rewards. Welcoming God brings peace. Welcoming God brings healing. We are asked to listen and her God’s voice calling us, and are encouraged to allow him to be God in our lives.

We see in the gospel the effect of this. The leper was healed not just because of God’s love and power. Yes, God can and will heal us. However, we need to do our part. We need to believe in him. We need to come to him. The leper welcomed Jesus. He had faith in Jesus. And he was healed. 

If our hearts are closed, we are going against God. If we do not recognize him and believe in Him, we are not working with him, we are against him. We cannot receive all he wants to give us. IF we continue to harden our hearts and not listen to his voice in our lives, we might just find ourselves very far from him – because we do not want to follow him, because makulit tayo.

How often do I follow Jesus? What is my relationship with him? Do I see him working in my everyday life, or do I always ask for grand signs to prove his existence? Am I working for or against Christ?

May we always allow ourselves to be changed and make Him God in our lives, and not be a hard headed person whose heart is far from Him. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another chance to know you more. Thank you for the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times I ignore you. Sorry for being hard headed. Sorry for doubting you and for not coming to you. Help me humble myself. Help me submit myself. Lord, as I come to you, I have faith that you will take care of me and make me more like you. Amen. 

Blessed Day!

In Christ,

-g-

Ps

See related reflections:

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2020/01/dirty-work.html

https://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2018/01/courage-and-faith.html

http://mysimplereflection.blogspot.com/2015/01/complete-healing.html

January 14, 2021

Thursday of Week 1; St. Macrina the Elder

---

FIRST READING

Hebrews 3:7-14

The Holy Spirit says:
Oh, that today you would hear his voice, “Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion in the day of testing in the desert, where your ancestors tested and tried me and saw my works for forty years. Because of this I was provoked with that generation and I said, ‘They have always been of erring heart, and they do not know my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter into my rest.’”
Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God. Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today,” so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin. We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end.

---

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm 95:6-7c, 8-9, 10-11

R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 

Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD who made us. For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides. 

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 

Oh, that today you would hear his voice: “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, Where your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works.” 

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. 

Forty years I was wearied of that generation; I said: “This people’s heart goes astray, they do not know my ways.” Therefore I swore in my anger: “They shall never enter my rest.” 

R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

---

ALLELUIA

See Matthew 4:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia. 

Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and cured every disease among the people. 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

---

GOSPEL

Mark 1:40-45

A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere.