The personal connection

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today inspire us to review our personal connection to Jesus. The Letter to the Hebrews warns of our hardening of heart. Psalm 95 is A Call to Worship and Obedience The Cleansing of a Leper in the Gospel from Mark is a personal act of compassion of Jesus. Larry Hopp asks What does a hardened heart look like and how can we recognize it in ourselves? Don Schwager quotes Why did Jesus touch the leper, by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD) The Word Among Us Meditation on Psalm 95:6-11 the psalmist urged the people to recall Meribah: not as a condemnation, but as a remembrance of God’s closeness: I was suffering in bondage in Egypt, but the Lord heard my cries and delivered me. I walked on dry ground through the Red Sea. The Lord gave me manna and quail in the desert. Like the pillar of cloud by day and fire at night, these memories could assure the people that God had not abandoned them at all. Remember God’s works. Remember his presence. Then, harden not your heart. Saint Anthony of Egypt’s Story as related by Franciscan Media will remind many people of Saint Francis of Assisi. Cynthia Bourgeault reminds that if we so choose, we can shift to a whole different basis of perception.