Deacon Tom Writes,
“Obstinate of Heart”
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
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 filled 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 into ones full of love and compassion.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
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