If today you hear his voice harden not your hearts.
In the first reading Moses prophesies that a prophet will arise who is like him. Jesus is that prophet and he teaches with authority, denouncing the Pharisees who are hypocrites. Jesus encourages his listeners to do what the Pharisees say, not what they do. In Matthew’s Gospel, we hear the sermon on the mount. In the Gospel story, even the demons know who Jesus is – the Holy One of God. The response to the psalm today is “If today you hear his voice harden not your hearts.” We are often tempted to have hard hearts. Let us, instead, make the decision to listen to and accept the gospel message into our lives and allow it to transform us.
This is the beginning of Catholic schools week. Resurrection school is a gift to this neighborhood in the heart of the city. In Catholic schools week we honor those who work at our school because of the protection and enrichment that they offer to the students who go there. The Lord has great plans for our school and our parish. The school is a place where parents can send their children to hear the word of God with a tender heart, with sensitivity and with interest. Some make the heroic choice of sending their kids to a Catholic school. Others make the heroic, but dangerous, choice to send your kids to public schools. It is a dangerous move because these are hostile times in which the faith is under attack. What we want to do is train our kids by giving them the good news, so they can go out and take it to others.
