March 12/Third Friday of Lent
“O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
If only my people would hear me, and Israel walk in my ways,
I would feed them with the best of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would fill them.” ~ Ps 81.14, 17
It is a longstanding joke in my family that my father began to lose his hearing around the time that his three daughters were all teenagers. Whether that is true or not — and there were many days when he seemed blissfully unaware of the sisterly squabbling and adolescent angst that swirled around him — I can see now that selective hearing might have been necessary to his survival. Whatever our circumstances, all of us have some experience at tuning out unwanted messages, particularly if they challenge our thinking or call us off our comfortable perch. We hear, but we do not hear — or to put it another way, we hear, but we do not obey. Interestingly, in the biblical languages, “to hear” is quite literally “to obey” — a single verb covers both meanings in Hebrew (šmʿá) and Greek (ἀκοὐω). But in our modern lives, the two are quite often divorced: we prefer to go our own way, just like the people of ancient Israel, who stopped up their ears against God’s command to walk in his ways, and set off after more alluring idols. As the 19th century Russian Orthodox monk Theophan the Recluse wrote, “in true obedience you obey without seeing the reason for what you are told to do, and in spite of your own reluctance. A special blessing is promised for such obedience—the blessing of being preserved free from all harm.” For those who have ears to hear, God offers us the best of his love, or in the psalmist’s terms, the finest wheat and honey from the rock. Let us respond by heeding his call and walking in his ways.
Loving Lord, Open my ears to hear your voice, open my heart to receive your love, and strengthen my resolve to do your will. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031221.cfm
To hear the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral (Oxford) sing William Byrd’s “Cibavit eos,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6ZClE2yf0k
