Homily for 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 31, 2021

 Today's readings can be found here.

            Today’s psalm is one of my favorites.  When I was involved in music ministry, one of the groups did this psalm often.  We created a unique musical setting and the song fit perfectly in the singer’s range. Our group even recorded the song.  Whenever I listen to it, I can’t help but smile.  Eventually, I had to give up music ministry.  I recognized while I was going through diaconal formation that I wouldn’t have time to fulfill my duties as a deacon and continue with music in my home parish.  It’s not what I wanted, but I knew God was leading me on a different path.

            The psalm refers to Exodus 17 where the Israelites grumbled to Moses that there was no water in the place where they had camped.  They asked him why he brought them out of Egypt just to die in the desert.  Moses asked them why they were testing the Lord.  The Israelites were complaining because this journey from Egypt to the promised land was not going the way they expected.  They didn’t trust in the Lord and their hearts were hardened.  What does in mean to have your heart hardened?  Some may think it’s a stubbornness, not wanting to listen to God.  And that’s true.  However, hardening of the heart is not a sudden change of attitude.  It’s something that happens over time.  Just as hardening of the arteries occurs over many years of not eating right, so hardening of the heart occurs over time due to small decisions that move us away from the Lord.

            Like the Israelites, we can have preconceptions of how our lives should go.  We have expectations on our relationship with others and with God.  And when our expectations are not met, we may question why God did not answer our prayers or support us in the way we wanted.  It may be a job we really wanted that didn’t work out as planned.  Perhaps a child made some decisions which we wished they hadn’t.  Or maybe a friend or family member was not there for us when we needed them.  These things can cause us to question where God is in our lives.  They can add a layer of mistrust of God to our hearts.  Then, when God calls us to do something or a crisis arises, we cannot hear God’s voice.

            When my children were young, I found myself out of work.  I did what many people do in that situation, submitted many resumes, networked with others, made follow up calls to employers, everything I possibly could to find a job and support my family.  The one thing I didn’t do was pray.  I didn’t take the time to listen to how God might be working in my life at that point.  I was too busy trying to make things happen the way I thought they should.  I eventually had no choice but cry to God for help.  I realized I could no longer do it on my own and told God so.  The weight was immediately lifted from my shoulders.  I trusted in God and eventually trained for my current career which has been a blessing to me and my family.

            In what ways may we have hardened our hearts?  Are there relationships that need to be repaired or old hurts we need to let go?  How can we trust God more in our lives?  The more we put our trust in God, the softer our hearts will become.  We’ll then be able to listen to God’s voice in our lives.  I miss music ministry and look back fondly on my time with all the musicians I worked.  But I also know that God has even bigger blessings and graces in store for me in this new ministry He’s called me to.  God wants to bless all of us abundantly if we would only listen to his voice and open our hearts.