Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Homily for 3 Mar 2016

3 Mar 2016

We’re almost half way through Lent, and Scripture today puts something of a test before—kind of like a “mid-term exam.”  There is Jeremiah, speaking bold words, true words, honest words—meant to ruffle feathers.  And there is Jesus, again speaking boldly, with truth and honesty about the situation—also to ruffle feathers.

The “test,” it seems, is to poke at our conscience and see how “hard” or “soft” it is.  Honest criticism does that to us: it either ruffles our feathers and hardens our heart, or it shines on us like the morning sun and keeps our heart soft.  If a prophet were to say to us: “You fail to listen to the voice of the Lord,” I imagine our response would be mixed.

One person might be offended and say, “I do not fail—I try all the time!”  And a second person might say, “You’re right; sometimes I do fail to listen; thanks be to God, though, not always.”  It’s the same response, but the first is with a still hardened heart, and the second is with a softer heart.  And that second person might score an “A” on this mid-term exam, and the first might score a “C."

Perfection in holiness doesn’t earn the “A”—a supple and humble heart does.  As we go into the second half of Lent, it’s good to consider what honest critiques the Lord might make about our own Lenten practices.  The test, though, is how we respond to his voice.  Do we take it in like a breath of fresh air, or do we shut it out?  What kind of a “grade” would you give your own spiritual growth as we enter the “mid-term” of Lent?

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