Vol.5 No. 32 DoM E Message
Spiritual Gift of the Week
We pray for the grace to recognize the voice of Jesus Christ, our Shepherd—
He speaks through His word, in the Church and in our hearts.
Our Lady, Mother of the Good Shepherd pray for us.
Spiritual Instruction of the Week
“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts…” (Psalm 95:7; Hebrews 3:7)
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Dear Beautiful Daughters of Mary,
“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts…”
A ‘hardened heart’ in both Old and New Testaments refers to one who who does not care. The ancients spoke of it as insensibility or apathy. And the attitude was to be feared: “Happy the one who fears always, but the one who hardens his heart will fall into evil” (Prov. 28:14). One who could not feel or hear God was doomed. The premise—-if you do not hear God’s voice, most surely you will not see your own sin.
The opposite of apathy is affection. One who cares, one who reveres, one who has affection for God—this is the one who listens and hears God’s voice. I am reminded of the conversion of St. Paul. As we have read, Paul persecuted Christians. We may at first assume his heart was hardened. A closer look at his story however reveals something quite different. In Acts we are told that Paul himself boasted: “I am a Pharisee, son of a Pharisee.” As a good Pharisee, Paul sought righteousness. He prayed daily “ I shall call upon God, And the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and God will hear my voice” (Psalm 16,17). We are familiar with the rest of his story. Paul was listening and he heard God’s voice: Saul, Saul why do you persecute me. In Paul’s affection and care for God’s word, he listened and heard—and he was saved. “The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs16:9).
Paul’s conversion is most surely a lesson for us dear beautiful Daughters of Mary. Let us pray with affection and care—let us seek God’s voice. Ignatius of Loyola used the term ‘magnanimity.” His spiritual direction was clear: pray with generosity of heart. Teresa of Avila once said, “The important thing is not to think much but to love much and so do that which best stirs you to love.” Excellent counsel from both saints. Let us call upon God’s grace, and give our hearts to God in prayer— “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
Let us pray…
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Our final words on hardness of heart come from Pope Francis:
“The unfaithfulness of the People of God, like our own unfaithfulness, hardens the heart: it closes the heart!, and it keeps out the voice of the Lord who, as loving father, asks us to always open ourselves to his mercy and his love. In Psalm 95[94] we prayed together: hear today the voice of the Lord: harden not your hearts! It’s true, the Lord always speaks to us this way—with fatherly tenderness he tells us: return to me with all your heart, for I am merciful and compassionate.”
Veni, Spirito Santo, la misericordia di Dio ci salva—
Come Holy Spirit, it is by God’s mercy that we are saved,
Deb
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