Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the
sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy
it?” But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man,
“Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was
restored. Mark 3:4–5
Sin damages our relationship with God. But hardness of heart is
even more damaging because it perpetuates the damage done by sin.
And the harder one's heart, the more permanent the damage.
In the passage above, Jesus was angry with the Pharisees.
Oftentimes the passion of anger is sinful, resulting from
impatience and a lack of charity. But at other times, the passion
of anger can be good when it is motivated by love of others and
hatred for their sin. In this case, Jesus was grieved by the
hardness of heart of the Pharisees, and that grief motivated His
holy anger. His “holy” anger did not cause irrational criticism;
rather, it drove Jesus to cure this man in the presence of the
Pharisees so that they would soften their hearts and believe in
Jesus. Sadly, it didn’t work. The very next line of the Gospel
says, “The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the
Herodians against him to put him to death” (Mark 3:6).
Hardness of heart should be greatly avoided. The problem is that
those who are hard of heart are usually not open to the fact that
they are hard of heart. They are obstinate and stubborn, and
oftentimes self-righteous. Therefore, when people suffer from this
spiritual ailment, it is difficult for them to change, especially
when confronted.
This Gospel passage offers you an important opportunity to look
into your own heart with honesty. Only you and God need to be part
of that interior introspection and conversation. Begin by
reflecting upon the Pharisees and the poor example they set. From
there, try to look at yourself with great honesty. Are you
obstinate? Are you hardened in your convictions to the point that
you are unwilling to even consider that you may be wrong at times?
Are there people in your life with whom you have entered into a
conflict that still remains? If any of this rings true, then you
may indeed suffer from the spiritual ill of a hardened heart.
Reflect, today, upon your own soul and your relationships with
others with as much honesty as possible. Do not hesitate to let
your guard down and be open to what God may want to say to you. And
if you detect even the slightest tendency toward a hardened and
stubborn heart, beg our Lord to enter in to soften it. Change like
this is difficult, but the rewards of such a change are
incalculable. Do not hesitate and do not wait. Change is worth it
in the end.
My loving Lord, this day I open myself to an examination of my
own heart and pray that You will help me to always be open to
change when necessary. Help me, especially, to see any hardness I
may have within my heart. Help me to overcome any obstinacy,
stubbornness and self-righteousness. Give me the gift of humility,
dear Lord, so that my heart can become more like Yours. Jesus, I
trust in You.
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