Deacon Tom
Writes,
“Obstinate of
Heart”
In our first reading, God sends the Prophet Ezekiel to put
the Israelites on notice that they have become a “rebellious house”. They are a people who are “hard of face and obstinate of heart” because they have turned away
from God and “rebelled against Him”. This
is a theme we hear time and time again in the Old Testament. It is like the ebb
and flow of the tides, this turning to and then away from God. The one thing
that is constant throughout the ages though, is that God never does the turning
away. He is always faithful to His people, always calling them to return to Him,
to love and be loved by Him. And so God chooses Ezekiel to deliver the message
that a “prophet has been among them”.
In today’s gospel, we see another prophet in the midst of
God’s people. The prophet is Jesus; chosen by God, indeed, He is God! But,
worker of miracles though He is, He is rejected by the people because they
can’t get beyond their judging, skeptical hearts and minds that are closed to
the truth; they are “obstinate of heart”!
So we read that Jesus, “was not able
to perform any mighty deeds there” and “He
was “amazed at their lack of faith”.
Scripture points out to us today our tendency to resist the
Holy. Indeed, God actually names the condition that plagues us. He refers to it
as having and “obstinate heart”. An
obstinate heart resists God’s invitation into the mystery of the divine
presence. An obstinate heart is closed to the transformation that the divine
presence is able to bring about. We develop this condition when we refuse to be
open to an alternative way of thinking or seeing the reality around us. This is
very much a part of our human condition. We all have a certain degree of
obstinacy in us.
Interesting that St. Paul writes about a thorn being given
to him. He prays that it be taken away, three times he say he specifically
prayed to be relieved of this painful condition. But, apparently to no avail.
What do you suppose was this suffering he carried? More importantly, why was it
given him?
If you have ever suffered mentally, physically, or
spiritually, you know that suffering changes us at the core of our being. Our
own suffering has great capacity to open our hearts to be compassionate and
empathetic to the pain and suffering of others. Personal suffering is
therapeutic in alleviating the hardness of heart that is a natural consequence
when our lives become selfish and self absorbed, when we lose track of the pain
and suffering of those around us and of our neighbor as Jesus defined “who is our
neighbor.” St Paul’s suffering and his prayers for relief force him to turn to
God and place his trust in Him.
One remedy for overcoming an obstinate heart is prayer,
opening our hearts and minds to Our Lord. This is the traditional way of
letting God into our lives so we may be filed with His presence. Of course, the
very desire for prayer comes from the grace of God whom Paul turned to in his
time of Need. As opposed to our weakened human condition that causes us to flee
God, God never abandons nor turns His back on us. Prayer will always turn the
hardest and most obstinate of hearts to ones full of love and compassion.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
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