People can be a bit dense, slow on the uptake. I know – I speak from experience. This is kind of a theme that runs through the readings today. God tried and tried to get through to his people. But in the first reading from Jeremiah 2, the Lord says, “Two evils have my people done: they have forsaken me, the source of living waters; They have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water.”
In the Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus is asked why He speaks to the people in parables. He answers, “Because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.” He then goes on to quote Isaiah – “Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted and I heal them.” Sound familiar?
I believe that God speaks to us constantly. So why do we fail to hear Him? I think there are two reasons. First, the enemy is awfully LOUD! The messages of the world bombard us from all sides. It can be hard even for God to break through all the crap. Second, and perhaps most importantly, it is because we don’t WANT to hear Him. We’re more than happy to further our own agenda. To many, God’s agenda seems antiquated, out of touch with how things are today. And so we block Him out. This isn’t a new phenomenon. It’s as old as Adam and Eve. The important to remember is that we have free will. We can choose to listen. We can choose to open our eyes. Can you hear?
Father, forgive us for the times when we choose not to listen to you. Open our eyes and our ears as we allow you to speak to us. Amen.
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