“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”……No one in heaven ever sang this song….. “I did it my way”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew about how the Pharisees taunt Jesus…They are so convinced of their righteousness….Jesus sees through their words and addresses them….”Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet”…..One may ask - ”What was it about Jonah the prophet that the pharisees, who were scholars of the law should have taken note of?…….Jonah was given an impossible task by God - To convert the city of Nineveh, which the Bible tells us was highly corrupt and depraved….Think about that task - Going into one of the most corrupt cities in the world and at God’s request, thinking you can “change the minds of the people” - And that is exactly what happened!…At the words of Jonah, the people of Nineveh converted back to God….So when the Pharisees tested Jesus and asked for a sign - Jesus was not having it - He did not play their game….He told them, “Look - You say you understand the Scriptures - All you have to do is read it for yourself! - There are plenty of “signs”, which should convince you that I am the guy!”…..But as we all know, the Pharisee were not having it - Why? - Because Jesus did not “fit the mold” that they thought in their pride how God would act and save his people….Are we any different?…..Do we ask God for a sign to convince us that he is real?……Do we “mold” God in an image of our own liking?……If one is objective and simply reads the early Church Fathers…..Sacred Scripture…..Read the miracle accounts of the Catholic saints over the course of the last 2000 years…..Any objective person will conclude or at the minimum begin to question their personal biases about the Catholic Church could very well be wrong……So why do we not do this?…..The answer - We are not interested in changing - Just as the Pharisees were not interested in changing……..Being a follower of Christ means we have an open heart and an open mind, allowing the Holy Spirit to direct and mold our life…Each and every day we must be converted….The minute we think we have “gone far enough” is the minute we begin to slide backwards

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”

How do we “test” God’s love for us? - Are convinced that God loves us?……Our world today does not trust God - They think that the ideas put forth by the one Church that Jesus founded are outdated - They are not "practical”……Nothing could be further from the Truth…..Maybe the problem is, our world has “bought into the lie” that frankly has led to the downfall of so many, right in front of our eyes and still, our world continues to “buy in” to that lie! - The “whisper” of the serpent…..What is it that will convince us?……Each person is different but ultimately we need to allow Christ to speak to us - This is why sitting before the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the altar in silence is vital…..You do not have to be Catholic to do this - You do not have to be in the state of grace to do this….All you have to be is a person who is searching and there are many people of good will who are indeed searching…..In that time of simply siting in silence before the Blessed Sacrament, God will speak a language to you that only you can and will understand…I have seen this first hand with my own two eyes…..Mother Teresa’s sisters ran an AIDS hospice for over 25 years in Lower Manhattan…The men in that hospice had acquired AIDS through every means one can imagine - To be blunt - They were far from “choir boys”…While many of them were not Catholic and did not receive the Blessed Sacrament at daily mass - Each of the men were asked to sit in front of the Exposed Eucharist everyday for one hour in silence and do you know what happened?…Many of them, not all, but more than a few converted and became Catholic requesting to be Baptized….This did not happen because of the nuns “preaching” to them but simply by the men witnessing and experiencing love in action - And by sitting in silence before the Blessed Sacrament…..Our world today, like the Pharisees in our Gospel story does not want to hear it! - Maybe because they have to allow themselves to “hear it” from the mouth of God himself…..We hear God’s ever small voice in silence and when we sit before him in the Blessed Sacrament and allow him to radiate not only his love upon us, but speak to us in a way that only he can - Things start to happen!

“At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here"

Today at Mass Jesus addresses those who try to test him - “Prove to us you are God!?!”…..Jesus was not having it…..All the proof we need is at our finger tips - All we have to do is read it……So what is stopping us? - The answer - We do not want to change…..We do not want to admit we were wrong….We do not want to say these words, “Bless me Father for I have sinned”……Enough!!!!…Its time to “get passed” these foolish ideas and our stubborn pride…..Listen - God is not going to force you to do anything - Just as he will not force you into the doors of heaven…We have to make the choice - So don’t be foolish!…If you are looking for a “sign” - All you have to do is do some reading….If you want to hear the voice of God - All you have to do is sit before the Blessed Sacrament in silence…..But if you do not want to change - Not even God himself can help you…..“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”……No one in heaven ever sang this song….. “I did it my way”