Harden Not Your Heart

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Thursday, 1st Week in Ordinary, Time Year 1, January 14th, 2021

Texts: Heb. 3:7-14; Ps. 95:6-11; Mark 1: 40-45

Today, the Spirit warns us against hardness of heart. When our forefathers in faith did it, it turns sour for them; they did not enter the promised land. For us, our promised land is heaven; hardness of heart can make us lose heaven. 

Hardness of heart is a deliberate refusal to obey God; it is a firm and stable disposition of the will against God's instructions. Hence, it is said, "Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness". Hardness of heart is the manifestation of unbelieving heart, for it is said, "Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God." Hardness of heart turns us away from God.

The reading reminds us that hardness of heart is caused by deceitfulness of sin. The deceitfulness of sin refers to the false promises sin offers, the promise of pleasure and enjoyment, the promise of honour and fame, the promise of power and influence.  This reminds us of Eve, our first parent; it is said of her thus: "The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was enticing for wisdom that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate" (Gen. 3:6). That is how we are deceived by sin. When we commit a sin repeatedly, it hardens our hearts.

The reading tells us that we need to exhort one another to prevent hardness of heart. It reads: "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by deceitfulness of sin." This means we need the help of one another to stand for God. We are to encourage one another with God's words.

The gospel reading teaches us to have faith in Jesus Christ, just like the leper. We should always trust in God's power to save. The leper expressed his faith thus: "If you will, you can make me clean." The gospel also reminds us that Jesus that Jesus Christ wills our good. Jesus expresses His willingness to save us thus: "I will; be clean." This invites us to always trust in the Lord's goodness and love.

Lord our God, help us by your grace to always have trust in your goodness and power to save. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke