Sunday, Feb. 1, is the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year B).

 

Mass Readings

Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9; 1 Corinthians 7:32-35; Mark 1:21-28

 

Our Take

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

The words of Psalm 95 are familiar to us. We hear them often at Mass and in the Liturgy of the Hours throughout the year. Pope Francis also refers to them often.

This Sunday’s readings explain just what those words mean in the life of a Christian.

Notice what the Gospel says about the voice of God the Son — the voice of Jesus of Nazareth.

His voice is incisive and insightful. “The people were astonished at his teaching,” says the Gospel. “He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.”

His voice is holy and powerful. “All were amazed” by his simple and effective exorcism, and they asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority.”

The voice of God is not just one voice among many: It is a unique expression of the Word of God; it is a voice that accomplishes what it speaks.

The Old Testament reading describes how God’s voice reaches us today: through human instruments that God provides.

Notice that God promises prophets from “among our kin.” He expects us to listen to them, and he will hold us accountable. Today, those “prophets” are ordinary ministers of his word: our bishops, our priests and all who share the teachings of the Church.

In the reading from St. Paul, the Church tells us what listening to God’s word will bring: a challenge — and peace.

In the letter, Paul writes about how those who are married can easily get caught up in the anxieties of the world. But Paul says it is possible to be “free of anxieties” by “adherence to the Lord without distraction.”

It is the Martha-and-Mary paradox: Martha was “anxious about many things” as she served dinner. Her sister, Mary, chose to sit and listen to Jesus, and this brought her calm and peace.

For those of us experiencing the stresses of everyday life, there is a valuable lesson here: The more we listen to the voice of God, the better we put our anxieties in perspective.

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”: Be willing to make the time to hear his voice, despite your busy life. Be willing to hear it from humble instruments.

Do whatever is necessary to listen, because this voice brings with it the powerful and effective Word of God.

Tom and April Hoopes write from Atchison, Kansas,

where Tom is writer in residence at Benedictine College.