God will not listen to you

The words of the Lord in today's first reading (Isaiah 1:10-17) can hit us like a kick in the chest.

When you spread out your hands,
I close my eyes to you;
Though you pray the more,
I will not listen.

This seems to strike particularly at those of us who focus our efforts on perfection in worship, either through Charismatic Renewal ("When you spread out your hands, I close my eyes to you") or through restoration of traditional worship ("your incense is loathsome to me").

God, of course, is not discouraging prayer: the problem is not attentiveness to matters of worship but rather inattention to matters of morality.

If our prayer life is not as good as we would like it (God knows that mine is not), perhaps we need to do more than just devote more time or try new techniques: perhaps we need to reexamine our consciences more deeply, get rid of our sinful or slothful habits, be more concerned about justice for others, and beg for the grace of the Lord.

When you spread out your hands,
I close my eyes to you;
Though you pray the more,
I will not listen.

Your hands are full of blood!
Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow.

Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD:
Though your sins be like scarlet,
they may become white as snow;
Though they be crimson red,
they may become white as wool.

If you are willing, and obey,
you shall eat the good things of the land;
But if you refuse and resist,
the sword shall consume you:
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken!

Let us pray and let us do.