[stephenkhoo]

OPEN YOUR HEARTS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 7:23-28; PS 95:1-2,6-9; LK 11:14-23]

All the three scripture readings today deal with closed hearts. In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah was sent to save his people from the invasion of the Babylonians. But the rulers, the religious leaders and the people did not take heed of his call to repentance, integrity of life and unity. As the Lord said, “they did not listen, they did not pay attention; they followed the dictates of their own evil hearts, refused to face me. But they have not listened to me, have not paid attention; they have grown stubborn and behaved worse than their ancestors.” The history of Israel was a history of infidelity to God. The Lord said, they have “turned their backs on me from the day your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until today, day after day I have persistently sent you all my servants the prophets.” Indeed, their hearts were closed to the love of God for them.

It was also the case of the religious leaders and the people during the time of our Lord. Jesus had just cast out a dumb devil from a man. “The people were amazed. But some of them said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils’, others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven.” Clearly the power of Jesus to cast out devils was not a point of debate. They all saw the miracle and the wonders He did before their very eyes. Yet they would not believe in Him. Their hearts remained closed to the Lord. Some even accused Him of colluding with Satan, the chief of the devils. The argument was that through His collaboration with Beelzebul, the prince of devils, in casting out the other devils, Jesus could deceive the people into believing that He was from God. When the heart is closed, we cast all kinds of spurious ideas and arguments to strengthen our doubt. And there were others asking for a spectacular sign from heaven when the sign was already there, before their very eyes. Again, for those who lack faith, they keep asking for divine signs, one after another. This is why there are some Catholics who are forever chasing after apparitions and miracles to strengthen their faith.

The truth is that at the end of the day, faith and love are matters of the heart. Logic and reason alone cannot bring us to faith, even if they can lend credibility to what we believe. Yet, opening our hearts to God or to someone in our lives is not a matter of logic or reason but ultimately of faith and trust. No amount of intellectual discourse can convince a person who is closed to faith and belief. We can provide all the answers to their doubts but they will raise more questions to our answers. If intellectual argument can convince people to faith, then either all will be atheists or all believers. Great intellectuals, scientists and doctors have faith in God but we also have many also who do not believe in God.

Indeed, Jesus sought to reason with them when they suggested that He worked the miracles through the power of Beelzebul. He refuted their charge by saying, “Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand?” It is absurd to suggest that Satan would collude with Jesus to destroy their own kind. Furthermore, Jesus said, if it were true that He cast out devils through Beelzebul, then what about themselves? It would be presumptuous for them to claim that their powers came from God and Jesus’ power came from the prince of devils. Clearly, their arguments did not stand to reason. It was a pure reaction to the perceived threat of Jesus. But this is how people who refuse to believe, or are jealous of those who can perform miracles or do works of healings, accuse them of complicity with the evil spirits. We must be careful that we do not pass sweeping judgment when we do not know otherwise, lest we commit the sin against charity. This is also true particularly when people of other faiths also perform miracles or works of wonder. We must not be too quick to judge without knowing the facts or studying the case.

St Paul, writing to the Corinthians, said, “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.” (1 Cor 1:20f) We can be sure that the rulers and the religious leaders of Israel were intelligent people and yet they rejected the prophecies of Jeremiah. They found all kinds of reasons to reject his warnings and even attempted to put him to death. Indeed, whilst reason is an essential component in growing and understanding our faith, reason is not the basis for faith. Reason only establishes that our faith is credible and not whimsical. Reason gives foundation to our faith. But what ultimately causes one to believe is not the head but the heart.

In other words, we must open our hearts. Reason can open our minds but conviction comes from the heart, not reason. When we fall in love with someone, it is not because of reason alone but simply because we opened our hearts to love. Can you try to rationalize with an animal lover why he or she is spending so much time and resources looking after his or her pets? Shouldn’t the money be given to the poor and the suffering? Can you try to rationalize with your son or daughter in a same sex relationship? It has nothing to do with reason but with feelings, and more than mere sentimental feelings, it has to do with an open heart. The responsorial psalm therefore said, “O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the desert when your fathers put me to the test; when they tried me, though they saw my work.'”

Jesus warned us of the consequences of a closed heart. He said, “But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you.” In rejecting the Lord, they put themselves out of the Kingdom of God. Instead of being under the rule of God and His love, the people placed themselves under the rule of the Evil One and his deceptive ways. They would ultimately destroy themselves because division will set in due to confusion, ignorance, relativism and pride.

However, when we open our hearts to the Lord, we allow the Kingdom of God into our lives. Jesus is that strong man that could ensure our safety and protection. “So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.” We must make a choice between choosing the world or choosing God. Jesus, by His death and resurrection, has conquered sin and death. He is the One that could defeat the devil, powerful as he might be. But Jesus is even more powerful than the Evil One. We have nothing to fear so long as the Lord is with us.

This is why the Lord remarked, “He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.” There is no neutrality when it comes to the Lord. We are either with Him or against Him. When we do not opt for the Lord, we will choose the way of the world. Even neutrality works against faith. This is the trouble with many Catholics because they have one foot planted in the world and the other planted in the Church. Trying to serve God and mammon simply does not work when it is a question of choosing between God who is the ultimate determining factor of how we want to live our life, how we choose our values and whom we want to relate with, and the world.

This is why the psalmist urges us, “Come, ring out our joy to the Lord; hail the rock who saves us. Let us come before him, giving thanks, with songs let us hail the Lord. Come in; let us bow and bend low; let us kneel before the God who made us: for he is our God and we the people who belong to his pasture, the flock that is led by his hand.” Jesus is the rock and our shepherd. St Peter said, “Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house.” (1 Pt 2:4f) He also assured us, “when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away.” (1 Pt 5:4) Open your hearts to the Lord!