If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. – Psalm 95:8
Just how can we hear the voice of God? We can hear Him speak His Word to us through the Scriptures, in personal prayer, in our conscience that convicts us of right and wrong (CCC 1777), in the liturgy of the Mass, through the writings of the saints, and through godly people. The adage goes, it’s one thing to hear and another to listen. Hearing implies that you’ve taken in the message; listening implies that you understand and have the intention of obeying that message. Responding to that message is how you actively carry out the will of God once you hear and listen to His word. All three are required: hearing with humility, listening with trust in the Lord, and responding in obedience out of love for God and neighbor (Romans 13:8-10).
This Sunday’s readings shows God speaking to His people in different ways. In the first reading, God sent Ezekiel to speak to the house of Israel (33:7-9). He was charged with speaking God’s Word and the people were called to listen to him. Spoiler alert: most people did not heed his voice: “The people also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them; and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that there has been a prophet among them” (2:4-5).
Psalm 95 admonishes us to listen for God’s voice and respond with soft, receptive hearts. You could imagine a hard heart as unyielding ground that’s so dry it can’t even receive water. In contrast, a soft heart is ready to receive the seed of God’s word and the water of His grace and allow them to sink deeply into the fertile soil of the soul. This seed becomes fruitful, coming forth in words and deeds of goodness in accordance with God’s will: “And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold” (Luke 8:8). Hearing and listening becomes fruitful when the heart responds in loving action.
In the Gospel passage, Jesus demonstrated how to reach a person with a hardened heart who “refuses to listen” to godly people–and even to the authority of the Church (Matthew 18:15-17)! I can ask myself, do I know the voice of God when I hear it? Am I striving to hear, listen, and respond to His will daily? How do I react when His Word is not what I want to hear? Do I harden my heart, or do I trust in God’s merciful love?
Jesus, I am sorry for the times when I have been stubborn and hardened my heart. Holy Spirit, rain Your love and grace upon my mind and heart and water them with your virtues of humility, trust, and obedience. Help me hear, listen, and respond to the Father’s will.