3rd Sunday of Lent
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Written by Br. John-Marmion Villa
"All too often our so-called strength comes from fear, not love; instead of having a strong back, many of us have a defended front shielding a weak spine. In other words, we walk around brittle and defensive, trying to conceal our lack of confidence. If we strengthen our backs, metaphorically speaking, and develop a spine that’s flexible but sturdy, then we can risk having a front that’s soft and open….How can we give and accept care with strong-back, soft-front compassion, moving past fear into a place of genuine tenderness? I believe it comes about when we can be truly transparent, seeing the world clearly—and letting the world see into us."
Brown, Brené. Braving the Wilderness (p. 147). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Unfortunately, we all have hardened hearts because we protect ourselves from every being hurt like that again. And because our hearts are hardened, we isolate ourselves from the very avenue of our healing, namely, Jesus, in whatever way He wants to come and meet us right where we are. No doubt, life can be rough, and certainly our hearts bear the festering wounds of life's cruelty. But what if a tiny glimmer of hope were to sneak into the barricades of our defense mechanisms? What if we let our hearts be softened by the salve of Jesus' Word (scripture) and Body (sacrament)? What if there was a way to fully engage the world around us, but without being crushed beneath its weight? What commitment would you be willing to make to see if Jesus is really who He says He is?
Hard hearts don't usually sing - I know mine doesn't when I carry my burdens instead of surrendering them to Jesus. But it is precisely that we have calluses of the heart that we begin to experience the tenderness of God's Love! When we can muster the faith to let Jesus melt our stony heart, only then can we "sing joyfully" and "come into His presence with thanksgiving." Maybe, instead of having hard hearts and weak backbones, Jesus can transform us to have soft hearts and strong backbones. Only the love of Jesus can make such an outlanding promise. Only humble, contrite hearts dare take Him up on His offer.
Br. John-Marmion is a monk with the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage Monastery in Berryville, AR. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and Master’s Degree in Divinity. Currently, He is the monastery Guest Master. Previously, he served with NET Ministries in various capacities. He is an artist with NOVUM RECORDS, and you can stream his debut record “Five Loaves” on Spotify and Apple Music.
Pray with today’s psalm.