Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent (March 26, 2009)
From now until Easter, all of the weekday Gospels (except the Wednesday of Holy Week) will be from John. I need to pray a lot for the Holy Spirit to enlighten me because I have never taken any Bible classes and I find John’s Gospels to be the most difficult to interpret. He is way too philosophical for me… and sometimes he leaves me on cloud nine. Last night, since I knew I had a doctor’s appointment this morning, I tried to get ahead of myself. I read the readings, I read the little black book and I did not understand a thing. Maybe the fact that I had a very long day and was pretty burned out had something to do with it, but there’s nothing like a walk before sunrise and the fresh air to awaken my brain.
The message was so clear to me this morning. Jesus came and His own people did not accept Him. It was easier for them to accept anyone else that claimed to be a prophet than it was to accept Jesus. Jesus came to shake their world. He did not respect the Sabbath, He told them their laws were irrational, He ate with sinners, He talked to women, He called them hypocrites, He told them to love and forgive their enemies… no wonder they crucified Him. How about today? Are we any different? If we listen to a preacher that is very charismatic, do we believe everything he or she tells us? Is it easier for us to accept someone whose ideas are more in tune with ours than it is to accept the truth, even if it hurts?
Today, we turn our backs on Jesus too. He is telling us to love and forgive our enemies. Have we done it? I certainly have not. I’m still holding grudges… and I still have not gone to confession. If He came today, would He also call us hypocrites? I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what He would call me. Here I am, trying to transmit His message of love and I’m the first one that is not carrying it out. Jesus shakes our world every day. Are we ready to give Him a resounding YES or are we going to continue postponing it? Every time we tune out His message to us, every time we postpone answering Him, every time we tell Him not right now, maybe later, we are hammering one nail in His cross, we are pushing another thorn into His head and into His heart…
We are seventeen days from Easter, how much longer is it going to take us to accept Him? He does not want 50% or 75%, He wants a full 100%. We have to choose, we cannot lead two lives, is all or nothing.
If we are not ready to make Him a part of our life, then it’s time to stop this journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment