Scripture:
Jeremiah 7:23-28
Luke 11:14-23
Reflection:
"If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts."
We are now three weeks into the season of Lent. Are we listening to His voice? How are we responding? There is so much going on in our world today, how do we take time to for God; either to talk to him or listen to him? Why is it that we always seem to make the time when things aren’t going the way we want them. It usually sounds something like, "please God, just get me through this and I will go to Mass on Sunday…please God, let him/her get better and I promise to help someone else in need…" Can we find a way to make time for God without having to plead with Him? Can we just make time to thank Him for the goodness in our lives?
I think about the people of Haiti and how their lives have been completely turned on end. People all over the world understood the gravity of the situation and donated what they could, raising millions of dollars for relief. I think about the people from all over the world who went to Haiti to help: doctors, nurses, other medical personnel, rescue teams, etc. Some at their own expense. They worked together, united by faith and by the human need to help. They worked through the language barriers, infrastructure obstacles and setbacks, and aftershocks; risking their own lives to reach as many survivors as they could, not wanting to give up even when there seemed to be no more hope. This is faith, plain and simple. They heard His voice and opened their hearts. Faith is active. I think nothing exemplifies this more than people uniting on a global scale for one singular purpose: to help others in desperate need.
How will we hear His voice today? Can we just make the time to stop and say thank you? What can we choose to do today to act out our faith?"
Claire Smith is on staff at the Holy Cross Province Development Office in Chicago, Illinois.