Test the Heart

March 8, 2012

Thursday of the Second Week of Lent

More tortuous than all else is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it? I, the LORD, alone probe the mind and test the heart, To reward everyone according to his ways, according to the merit of his deeds. Jeremiah 17:9-10

“But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.' He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'" Luke 16:29-31

Piety

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers. Rather, the law of the LORD is his joy; and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:1-3

Study

To whom do we listen? The rich man in today’s Gospel had ears but did not hear. When he suffered his inevitable fate, he wanted to send a message back to his family.

How sad must Jesus have been to utter the statement that “neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.” At that point, Jesus knew that would be his destiny. Yet he already knew that despite the suffering he would endure for our sins, there would still be some who would not be persuaded to change the ways that they live their lives.

Too often, we follow the advice of others. The banks and investment firms and magazines urge us to save more, amass more wealth, buy a bigger house and prepare for a life of leisure in retirement. Was that not the kind of advice followed by the rich man? Think of those commercials by the ironically named company “Fidelity” that paint a green stripe for people to follow. Then think of today’s readings. Do we want to follow the narrow path laid out by Fidelity or Vanguard or others? Or do we want to be faithful and follow the narrow path laid out by Jesus of Nazareth? To which message do we pledge our fidelity? Which message will put us in the vanguard?

Action

Last month, the New York Times had an article about the 40 cities that lead the list of poverty in America. To get on the list, the city had to have the highest percentage of people living below the poverty line. You can see the chart at this link: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/02/18/opinion/18blow-img.html?scp=2&sq=Poverty&st=Search).

Ironically, it appeared a week before the beginning of Lent. Fr. Larry Snyder, head of Catholic Charities USA noted that at the outset of the 40 days of Lent, the list of 40 cities also caught his eye. Fr. Larry noted in his blog: The number 40 is used repeatedly in Scripture. There is the story of Noah and the great flood, where it rains for 40 days and 40 nights (Gn 7:4,12,17; 8:6). Moses stayed with God on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights (Ex 24:18). The Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years before entering the Promised Land (Nm 14:34). Jesus fasts in the desert for 40 days and nights before beginning his public ministry (Mk1:12-15); his ascension into heaven occurs 40 days after the Resurrection (Acts 1:3).

He provided a short list of ways to use this list in our Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Consider these suggestions of Fr. Larry as you walk your Lenten Journey.

· St. Augustine said, “True prayer is nothing but love.” Say a special prayer for the people of each city, one per day for 40 days. Contemplate how our actions as individuals and as society resulted in poverty in each city.

· “Adopt” a city and support one of its food banks, so those who are poor do not go hungry.

· Contribute 40 items of clothing and other household goods to a church or community organization that is not in your neighborhood.

· Save $40 by giving up that morning cappuccino, or potato chips at lunch, or a diet soda and donate it to an organization that works to reduce poverty in one of the 40 cities.