Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Thursday of the third week of Lent, March 27, 2025

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Jeremiah 7: 23-28; Rs psalm 95: 1-2.6-7.8-9; Luke 11: 14-23HARDNESS OF HEART AND INSINCERITY The theme for our meditation today is: Hardness ofHeart and Insincerity. There was a five-year-old child crying and throwingstones at his house from about 20 meters away. He was angry with his mother.The reason was that his body was full of mud and was going to be bathed by Mamma,but he didn't want to and ran away. In that anger and crying, the boy was saying: "Mamma'sheart is hard as a stone." He repeated those words while throwing stonesat the house with stones taken around where he was. His mother occasionallycame out to pick him up, but the boy ran away more and more and kept crying. This illustration touches on at least two things,namely hardness of heart and insincerity. The boy called his mother a personwith hardness of heart, at least that is what in the mind of a five-year-oldchild. According to him, bathing to cleanse his body is not a right and not a gooddeed, so he opposed it. The act of offending and hostile to what is right andgood is the act of insincerity. The little boy did not understand what hardness ofheart and insincerity really were. But what he had done to his mother can be avaluable material for us to ponder. Children often say and do things to disturbadults about their attitudes and behaviors. A grown-up and mature person knows that when a man'sheart becomes hard, he loses the ability to feel compassion, to forgive, and toconfess a truth. Hardness of heart and insincerity are closely related becausethese two negative traits have the same intention, namely rejecting the truth,humility and the call to repentance. These two negative qualities are alluded to in our tworeadings today. God revealed the truth to Moses that the Israelites had becomehardness of heart and insincere, so that they no longer obeyed His commands andwill. The Pharisees, scribes, and Jewish elders were not willing to acknowledgethe miracle of the casting out of an evil spirit in a mute person. Instead,they accused Jesus of being a demonic leader who cast out fellow demons. As an act of repentance in this period of penance, weare all called to get rid of our hardness of heart and insincerity. We need toreplace it with humility, sincerity in word and deed, and acts of compassionfor others. Do it right now, and don't delay.Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord, pour outwithin us a tender and sincere heart. Our Father who art in heaven... In thename of the Father ...