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document.write('<h2>Harden Not Your Hearts </h2><P><strong><em>by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.parishwebmaster.com/services/auth');
document.write('ors/bio_npopadich.htm"><font color="#000000">Nick Popadich</font></a></em></strong></P><P>The world changed on Septembe');
document.write('r 11, 2001.  And since the terrorist attack on the United States, the world has seemed to be in a state of perpetual unr');
document.write('est.  As we came to grips with what had happened, we turned our attention to various political hotspots around the world');
document.write('.  Today, as we teeter on the brink of war, I am more certain than ever that the key to promoting peace and justice thro');
document.write('ughout the world is to &quot;harden not our hearts.&quot;</P><h3>Let my People Go </h3><P>Long ago, Moses plea');
document.write('ded with Pharaoh to free the Israelites. No longer should they be slaves to the Egyptians. But Pharaoh\'s heart was so ha');
document.write('rdened that he would not change. He refused to see Moses\' point of view. Plagues befell Egypt -- time after time -- but ');
document.write('Pharaoh would not relent.</P><P>After the Israelites escaped, they wandered in the desert for 40 years. Some began to d');
document.write('oubt that God really loved them. They turned away from him and began worshipping a golden calf. These people wanted resu');
document.write('lts and didn\'t seem to think Yahweh was doing a very good job. Their hearts were hardened. They would not let God in.</P');
document.write('><h3>Pharisees, Parables, Tramps and Thieves</h3><P>When Jesus began his ministry, he was up against the same kind of ');
document.write('self-righteous attitudes found in the Pharaoh and the ungrateful Israelites. Often times, the ultra-religious Pharisees ');
document.write('were his target, and they had a hard time being open to his message.</P><P>Parable after parable speaks of God rejoicin');
document.write('g at the return of the sinner. Finding the sinner was a joyous occasion because these were people who truly needed and w');
document.write('anted God\'s mercy. Though seen as worthless &quot;scum&quot; by the Pharisees, these sinners were freed from their sins ');
document.write('because their hearts were open to God\'s love. They were open to change. Their very beings exuded forgiveness!</P><P>Whe');
document.write('n Jesus began preaching in parables he said, &quot;Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.&quot; I guess he meant everyo');
document.write('ne. However, as is the case today, few were truly willing to listen. Today, we often refuse ourselves the opportunity to');
document.write(' open our hearts and minds to God\'s truths. We have our own agendas, our own pains to work out, and our own beliefs of w');
document.write('hat is right.</P><h3>The Empire Strikes Back </h3><P>Today it may be easy to say that the US needs to strike back agai');
document.write('nst those who helped bring mass destruction upon our land of liberty. Some of the high school students I teach are ready');
document.write(' to go and fight for our country. But we must be cautious.</P><P>We must not succumb to the same hardness of heart that');
document.write(' our attackers had. Without a doubt I am sure they felt justified in what they did. However, they were unwilling to see ');
document.write('another\'s point of view. They were unwilling to forgive. If our hearts are filled with vengeance, are we any better than');
document.write(' they? How many innocent people will have to be killed before we feel that &quot;justice&quot; has been served?</P><h3>');
document.write('A New Hope </h3><P>We, as a people, must unite. We must show all those who oppose us that we are a people of freedom an');
document.write('d peace. Now is the time to welcome the &quot;sinner&quot;, or whomever you have kept out of your life, rather than cont');
document.write('inue to reject people as the Pharisees did. We must join forces with our Arab and Islamic brothers here in America. As w');
document.write('e learn about each other\'s faiths and cultures, our hearts will be made light. </P><P>Make no mistake, our country will');
document.write(' ensure that wrongs will be made right. But that justice for which we yearn must be tied with peace. This peace and cont');
document.write('entment must begin in our hearts and flow into everything we do.</P><P>Let us pray that hearts will be made light, and ');
document.write('peace and justice will prevail.</P><hr><h3>Life Applications:</h3><P>What would you do if you were drafted to ');
document.write('go to war?</P><P>How willing are you to forgive others? What would you consider an &quot;unforgivable&quot; sin?</P><P');
document.write('>Do you have a hard time forgiving yourself? How might you change this attitude?</P><hr><P>Copyright 2001-2008 <strong>');
document.write('<em>by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.parishwebmaster.com/services/authors/bio_npopadich.htm"><font color="#000000"');
document.write('>Nick Popadich</font></em?</a>&nbsp;<br><A HREF="http://www.ParishWebmaster.com/" STYLE="TEXT-DECORATION: NONE"><font co');
document.write('lor="#000000">All rights reserved. </font></a></strong></P><hr>');