June 29, 2011 – Numbers 23

Here we have the two blessings on Israel given by the one who was brought to curse them. Why does Balak continue to try, especially after the blessing in which God says that He cannot change His mind. Blinded by fury and arrogance, he continues to seek his own will and not be persuaded by the facts that are in front of him. Are we so different. Do we not plow through sometimes, ignoring what is going on around us, so convinced that we are right that we ignore warnings or refuse help. How often do we find that we have traveled a great way in the wrong way because to stove forward with our head down and our ears closed. We are stubborn fools when we know we are right and we find it hard to be proven wrong. I am amazed when I hear conversion stories like those of Scott Hahn and his wife or Steve Ray. There are many stories out there of people who converted after years of despising the Catholic Church and feeling they could be anything but Catholic. Many have their head down and ears closed and plow ahead, believing what they want to believe and focusing only on what supports them. Many of these conversion stories come from people who taught and made their livings working for different denominations. They had to give up their livelihood to covert to the Catholic faith. That is an amazing witness of courage and faith. A great example of stopping, looking around, realizing you been running forward with your head down and trying to get back to on the right track.