The central thread tying today's readings in this third Thursday of Lent in the liturgical calendar Cycle A concerns hearing God's voice and choosing whether to accept or reject him. In fact, all the readings revolve around God speaking, God acting, and the human response to that precious voice. The tragedy is that God's voice is clear, persistent, and powerful. Yet, as we see throughout salvation history, people resisted because their hearts are hardened. God continually speaks to his people, but they refuse to listen.