SOFTENING OUR HARDENED HEARTS - 04/23/22 (Easter Saturday)

Mark 16:11-14

11 But when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. 12 After this He appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. 14 Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they sat at table; and He upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw Him after He had risen. 

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Blessed Easter Saturday! Jesus rose from the dead, and just as how He preached the gospel to many people, He appeared to His followers to give them hope. He appeared to St. Mary Magdalene, the other women, the two people in Emmaus, but even then, the eleven disciples remained doubtful. Despite the testimonies that they heard, their hearts remained hardened, as what our Lord told them. Why? In their hearts, they held onto a lie such as it's impossible for Jesus to rise again to life. Our Lord rebuked them for their unbelief, and the reason why He did it was for their own good, for their salvation. 

As Catholics, our faith in the resurrection of Christ is necessary for our salvation. We may believe in this doctrine, but it's also important to remember that the reason why He rose is for us to believe in the gospel. Jesus came to be with the disciples as they sat on a table to show the importance of having fellowship with God. To live the gospel, we need to give service to God and to our neighbors. This is the means by which we can be united with our Lord. Unfortunately, there are times when we do not give greater glory to God such as by spending more time in our prayers, by reflecting more or by receiving frequently the sacraments. Even with other people, we may find it difficult to love them even if we are aware of the commandments of Christ. 

One sign that the disciples had hardness of hearts was their firm doubt and rejection of truth despite the promises of Christ, even despite what other people told them. By God's mercy, He wants to purify and soften our hearts that are hardened by our lack of faith. The struggle to uphold the teachings of Christ is an interior trial that needs to be addressed. And, we can persevere amidst this obstacle when we have a firm belief that God will give us the strength to do what pleases Him. The disciples were devastated by the death of Christ. But, they were unable to seek the strength from God to remain hopeful for His resurrection, and their lack of trust in Christ made them doubt Him even more. 

May we always remember that when we find it difficult to persevere in prayer or to love others, this is an opportunity to be dependent on the graces from our Lord even more. He alone can heal our hearts from our sins and doubts. We experience many challenges in our lives, so we can trust in God who is always present with us giving us strength, if we can humbly surrender ourselves to Him. It's not impossible to be a saint. It's not impossible to love those people who hurt us. We simply need to trust in Jesus. He rose from the dead to give us hope in His promises. As we recognize the hardness of our hearts, let us seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She never doubted the will of God in her life because of the purity of her heart. When we seek the help from Jesus through His mother, He will surely come to our aid and make us more united to His will. 

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic