First Reading: Ex 19:1-2. 9-11. 16-20b; Psalm: Dn. 3 R. v. 29b; Gospel: Mt 13:10-17

INDISPOSITION

BY FR VALENTINE NNAMDI EGBUONU, MSP.

“For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them” (Mt 13:15).

Sometimes we are the reason the Word of God does not bear fruit in us. Our disposition is required if God’s word must be fruitful in our lives. Indisposition is a mental shutdown especially to matters we consider irrelevant. It is just like changing the TV channels. There will always be that channel that we are not interested in because it does not offer us what we needed to hear or watch. Indisposition is like a fog on the glass. It is a blinder to what lies before us.

In the gospel of today, indisposition was the problem of some Pharisees who remained dull and cold-hearted to the message of Jesus. They fought the gospel rather than allow it to purge off their stubborn and comfortable sinful attitudes. Although Jesus chastised them severally to bring about a change of heart in them; but it was all to no avail. The grace of God does not work in a heart that is not open to new truths.

Our openness to allow the gospel message to purge off some habitual sins in us is necessary for our salvation. But this cannot happen if we are indisposed to allow the light of the gospel to shine on those dark places of our lives. We can recall those moments we felt so uncomfortable about a verse or a passage in the scriptures that addressed something about our sinful attitudes directly. And how we tried so hard to wrestle and shove them aside. Can we remember any of these moments? Why did we turn a blind eye to that graced moment? We may have just ended up shying away from something that God wanted us to look at? This kind of indisposition is a barrier to true repentance.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Lord Jesus, grant us the openness and docility to welcome your word into our hearts. Amen.