Hearts, Minds, and Voices Turned Toward the Lord
The scriptures tell us that the Lord is "rich in mercy" (Eph. 2:4). This is quite true, simply because of who God is. Still, it is possible to thwart God from extending as much mercy as He desires. That is why Lent makes and excellent opportunity to begin, or to redouble, efforts to turn and transform. Without a doubt, God will lavish His mercy upon us for forty days and beyond if we try to turn our hearts, minds, and voices toward Him.
The Mass readings for the Third Week of Lent make this point abundantly clear. From the moment of the Collect for Sunday Mass, anyone who listens or reads learns quickly that we must assume a posture of lowliness and humility in order for the Lord to lift us up. Yet, because of our sinfulness, we continually refuse to assume such attitudes, and thus we cut ourselves off from mercy.
There are several readings throughout the week in which we glimpse poor examples of hearts, minds, and voices turned toward the Lord. On Monday, the readings reveal that the king of Israel and the people in the synagogue at Nazareth were unable to turn as requested and expected. Even Namaan the Syrian doubted the prescription for merciful healing that came from God's prophet. Thankfully, for him and for us, his heart was turned. He received the mercy of God, and we see evidence that God can and will bless us after our stubborn words and actions.
There are others examples close on the heels of that one. During yesterday's Mass, worshipers heard of a servant who begged for mercy from a master, then refused to extend the same concession to a peer. In Thursday's first reading, Jeremiah passes along the message of the Lord that his people did not "pay heed" and obey His commandments. Instead, "The walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me" (Jer. 7:24). Here, we see that mercy only happens when one is turned to face the Almighty. If a person's back it to the Lord, he cannot receive the divine mercy and he cannot extend mercy to others.
Clearly, some of the individuals mentioned above were not turned toward God's merciful face, at least not initially. It is a great grace, then, that we can return to the Lord, confess our guilt, and ask Him to "Forgive all iniquity" as the prophet Hosea proclaims in the first reading for Friday's Mass. Moreover, like the tax collector in Saturday's gospel scene, we can bow our heads and beg simply, "O God, be merciful to me a sinner" (Lk. 18:13). These statements are first statements and steps toward a larger turn. The confession by mouth, the conversion of voice, is indicative of a much deeper transformation. Reacall Jesus' teaching: "out of the abundance of the heart [the] mouth speaks" (Lk. 6:45; RSV). The one who expresses the need for mercy already knows of the hole that must be filled, and of her thirst for God's love and mercy.
This leads us to examine what it looks like for a person to turn his heart and mind toward God. When Jesus echoed the Torah and said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mk. 12:30; Dt. 6:5), this is almost surely what He had in mind. The one who knows his need for mercy and the abundance of God's gift loves the Almighty above all else. Because of his great love for the Lord, he will keep the divine statutes , and he will pass them on faithfully throughout the generations (see today's readings). A primary indicator that a person has turned his whole heart and mind toward the Lord is the fidelity of the generations that follow.
All of this is expressed quite well in the responsorial psalms throughout the week. On Monday, we acknowledge, "Athirst is my soul for the living God," and we question, "When shall I go and behold the face of God?" (Ps. 42:3). "Guide me in your truth and teach me," we pray on Tuesday, acknowledging that our minds are feeble without His revelation (Ps. 25:5). On Thursday, the Psalmist exhorts us to soften our hearts when we hear the Lord's voice (Ps. 95:8). Finally, on Saturday, we recite that great Lenten Psalm, number 51, and we pray that God would accept our contrite hearts rather than holocausts.
We know that we are thirsty for His love and mercy. We know that His light guides us to truth, His face, and shows us how to act. We know that our hearts are hard, and that they need to become a more fertile place for mercy toward others. Lastly, and most importantly, we come to know that an enlightened mind and a softened, transformed heart are the greatest gift that we can give back to God in response to His great mercy. After we gift that mind and heart back to Him, He sends us out to others to tell with our voices that He has done marvelous things for us and in us!
The Mass readings for the Third Week of Lent make this point abundantly clear. From the moment of the Collect for Sunday Mass, anyone who listens or reads learns quickly that we must assume a posture of lowliness and humility in order for the Lord to lift us up. Yet, because of our sinfulness, we continually refuse to assume such attitudes, and thus we cut ourselves off from mercy.
There are several readings throughout the week in which we glimpse poor examples of hearts, minds, and voices turned toward the Lord. On Monday, the readings reveal that the king of Israel and the people in the synagogue at Nazareth were unable to turn as requested and expected. Even Namaan the Syrian doubted the prescription for merciful healing that came from God's prophet. Thankfully, for him and for us, his heart was turned. He received the mercy of God, and we see evidence that God can and will bless us after our stubborn words and actions.
There are others examples close on the heels of that one. During yesterday's Mass, worshipers heard of a servant who begged for mercy from a master, then refused to extend the same concession to a peer. In Thursday's first reading, Jeremiah passes along the message of the Lord that his people did not "pay heed" and obey His commandments. Instead, "The walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me" (Jer. 7:24). Here, we see that mercy only happens when one is turned to face the Almighty. If a person's back it to the Lord, he cannot receive the divine mercy and he cannot extend mercy to others.
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| The Pharisee and the Publican (no artist or date available) |
This leads us to examine what it looks like for a person to turn his heart and mind toward God. When Jesus echoed the Torah and said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mk. 12:30; Dt. 6:5), this is almost surely what He had in mind. The one who knows his need for mercy and the abundance of God's gift loves the Almighty above all else. Because of his great love for the Lord, he will keep the divine statutes , and he will pass them on faithfully throughout the generations (see today's readings). A primary indicator that a person has turned his whole heart and mind toward the Lord is the fidelity of the generations that follow.
All of this is expressed quite well in the responsorial psalms throughout the week. On Monday, we acknowledge, "Athirst is my soul for the living God," and we question, "When shall I go and behold the face of God?" (Ps. 42:3). "Guide me in your truth and teach me," we pray on Tuesday, acknowledging that our minds are feeble without His revelation (Ps. 25:5). On Thursday, the Psalmist exhorts us to soften our hearts when we hear the Lord's voice (Ps. 95:8). Finally, on Saturday, we recite that great Lenten Psalm, number 51, and we pray that God would accept our contrite hearts rather than holocausts.
We know that we are thirsty for His love and mercy. We know that His light guides us to truth, His face, and shows us how to act. We know that our hearts are hard, and that they need to become a more fertile place for mercy toward others. Lastly, and most importantly, we come to know that an enlightened mind and a softened, transformed heart are the greatest gift that we can give back to God in response to His great mercy. After we gift that mind and heart back to Him, He sends us out to others to tell with our voices that He has done marvelous things for us and in us!
