Changing hearts

There were seven brothers. (Luke 20:29)

The Sadducees were surprised. They had concocted a complicated story that they thought would force Jesus to acknowledge how silly the idea of the resurrection was. But Jesus answered by talking about heaven!

The Sadducees had asked about the brothers and their wife, but Jesus cut through to what was really on their minds. He unmasked their narrow way of looking at the Scriptures and showed them that they needed a change of heart. It was as if they didn’t really know what their real issue was. They weren’t asking Jesus the right questions—or at least the most important ones.

We know that even though he tried to help the Sadducees expand their vision, Jesus met with resistance and hardened hearts. But this doesn’t have to be our story. Not only can Jesus show us where we need to change our thoughts, but he can soften our hearts so that we want to change.

Now, we probably aren’t consciously trying to trip Jesus up with outlandish scenarios, but we may be looking at our situations too narrowly, just as the Sadducees did. 

For instance, you may be convinced that you just need your spouse or friend to stop a particular annoying behavior. And yet as you pray, you find that you are the one who needs to change by learning patience and flexibility. Or you may be praying for a neighbor’s troubled situation. The problem may not get resolved as you want it to, but you find your judgments about this neighbor dissolving as you develop a closer relationship with her. Or perhaps you are wrestling with an invitation to help out in your parish, and God gives you a new confidence that he will care for you. He washes away your fears and helps you discover how to reach out and still be faithful to your other obligations. 

As we approach the end of this liturgical year, be open to the possibility that God can take you where you might not expect. Let him surprise you with a taste of his power to transform your heart.

“Lord Jesus, I trust you. Let me not get so stuck in what I expect you to do that I don’t see the amazing things you are doing!”

from wau.org