Hardness of Heart

Homily for Saturday in the Octave of Easter

The Gospel text that we hear today includes a phrase which we have heard many times before. Jesus rebukes his disciples for their hardness of heart which was and continues to be an obstacle to faith. The phrase conjures up a harsh image. For the people of the Middle East, the heart was the seat of faith which was then expressed through their words. Being hard, inflexible, and impenetrable would be harmful to our ability to grow and to share love with others.

I have already made reference to the fact that the original ending of St. Mark’s Gospel describe the women who came to the tomb as so scared and afraid that they ran off and told nothing to anyone. St. Mark’s Gospel was the first to be written. So, it would be logical for us to think that the experience of the women might have persisted for some time within the community. Both the Gospels of St. Luke and St. John, the last two to be written, report extensive stories of the appearance of Jesus to his disciples. From this fact, we can also logically deduce that their fear eventually gave way to their faith and that they gradually came to believe in the resurrection of Jesus.

It is in the Acts of the Apostles that we come to know of the faith of the apostles. In today’s first reading, we hear of Peter and John standing before the Jewish elders and refusing to be silent about their faith in the name of Jesus. Their faith has transformed them, has softened their hearts so that they are able to witness the risen Christ. Even when threatened by the Jewish elders, they steadfastly stick to their conviction that they must be missionaries in their work as apostles.

The Octave of Easter has given us ample opportunity to examine our own hearts and to dispel any hardness of heart that we might carry. Grief, apathy, selfishness, or any one of several different emotions might be preventing our hearts from being penetrated by love. Today the Scriptures stand as an invitation from the risen Lord Jesus to open our hearts and to proclaim the Gospel. Let our recognition of Christ in the Eucharist be a source of strength as we undertake this mission.