a heart-warming lent
"When Abram prostrated himself, God continued to speak to him." —Genesis 17:3
Will you let the Lord say anything to you, even if you don't understand it or if it seems "too good to be true?" If today you hear His voice, is your heart hardened or opened? (Ps 95:7-8) The Lord wishes we would listen to Him. He pleads: "If only My people would hear Me" (Ps 81:14).
One week from today will be the last day of Lent. Throughout Lent, the Lord has been preparing us to hear a special Easter message. We have only one more week to open our hearts. The Lord wants to say something to us like: "Before Abraham came to be, I AM!" (Jn 8:58) Jesus is saying that the long-awaited Messiah has come, that He is the Messiah, and that He is God. However, most people of Jesus' time were not ready to hear such great news. They rejected Jesus and picked up rocks to throw at Him (Jn 8:59).
God likewise had some great news for Abraham. The Lord announced He was making an everlasting covenant with Abraham to make him "the father of a host of nations" (Gn 17:4). Even though it was hard to believe, Abraham received God's word. He laid prostrate before the Lord and listened to God's voice.
Did you ever have great news to share and repeatedly got voice mail? Then you have an inkling of how the Lord feels and why He's trying to open our hearts this Lent.
Prayer: Sacred Heart of Jesus, give me an open, warm, devoted, humble, loving, hearing heart.
Promise: "I solemnly assure you, if a man is true to My word he shall never see death." —Jn 8:51
Praise: Rosa consciously reminds herself of her Baptism every time she blesses herself with holy water.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our leaflet Hearing God on our audio AV 45-1 or video V-45.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General Archdiocese of Cincinnati, August 14, 2007
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