Hear Saints

The question of how much of our heart is in our attention to our relationship with God arises from the texts today in the Roman CatholicLectionary. The Book of Exodus tells us that the people, who had witnessed their freedom from slavery in Egypt through the action of the mighty arm of God, now complain of hunger and protest that God has left them to die. Our focus can return to our own needs and wants even as we journey with God. The Church today celebrates the Lebanese saint, Sharbel Makhluf, who was a priest hermit known for holiness and healing who did not move far from his hermitage for his entire life. The openness of the heart of the saint to the Word of God is contrasted to the attitude of stubbornness which causes people not to hear or see the action of the Word, presented by Jesus in the parable of the sower from the Gospel of Matthew. The stony ground of the stubborn heart is described by FriarJude Winkler as the person who has not received the portion of the Great Commandment which calls on people to love God with their whole heart. The heart, to the people of Jesus time, was the source of complete thinking and feeling. This parable of the sower was a way in which the people could understand the relationship to God of the Great Commandment in the practical experience of sowing seed which can easily be easily imagined and recalled in sketches and images. The love of God with our full soul will strengthen us against being shallow soil which rejects the Word when trial and disappointment comes into our lives. The love of God with all our material possessions, according to Friar Jude, will prevent our self concern for security or lust for pleasures from being the cause of our rejection of God. The Good Soil which produces the fruit of spreading the Word to others is nourished by good works, self sacrifice and penitential practice. As this chapter from Matthew continues, Jesus compares the stubborn of heart to those people in the prophesy of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:9). The Great Commandment in Deuteronomy 6:5-9 follows the great Shema prayer of Israel which is a daily reminder to listen to God as we journey to holiness.