"O, that today you would hear His voice: 'Harden not your heart.' " -Psalm 95:7-8
There's a lot of attention these days on hardening of the arteries, arteriosclerosis. The arteries clog and harden to the point where the flow of blood can be almost completely blocked. This can lead to sudden death. In a similar way, a hard heart, stiff neck, and turned back lead to spiritual death.
That's why we bend our knees in worship and bow our heads in prayer. That's one side effect of the various patterns of standing, sitting, kneeling, processing up to Communion and back, and so on during each Mass. We are constantly moving, which is an aid to preventing a stiff posture before the Lord. Yes, our hearts can still be hard, twisted, tortuous, and self-deceived even at Mass (see Jer 17:9). Yet at Mass we are in the Real Presence of the beating heart of Jesus in His eucharistic glory.
I challenge you during the rest of this Lent to try your best to attend Mass daily or as often as possible. If this is not possible, then increase your daily prayer time and try to pray on your knees or bowed down before the Lord. This is a way of humbling ourselves in the sight of the Lord (see Lk 18:9-14; 1 Pt 5:6).
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like Yours.
"Change my heart, O God. Make it ever true."
"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters." -Lk 11:23
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Psalm 51
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to thy steadfast love;
according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
and done that which is evil in thy sight,
so that thou art justified in thy sentence
and blameless in thy judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Fill me with joy and gladness;
let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence,
and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of thy salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors thy ways,
and sinners will return to thee.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
thou God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance.
O Lord, open thou my lips,
and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
For thou hast no delight in sacrifice;
were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Do good to Zion in thy good pleasure;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on thy altar.
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