Hello again! It's been a while since I've written on this blog but I was struck by something this morning in prayer that I wanted to share. I hope you can relate. Check all the readings from Mass I used here, including the following excerpt.
“'Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.' So the Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.' So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area."
-John 8: 56-59
"Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM."
Oftentimes I forget just how straight forward Jesus was. Not only with His own disciples but with all the people around Him at the time. When Jesus says He's "I AM" He isn't holding back at all- He's telling all that He IS God.
What are the people's response? They pick up stones and try to kill Him. Well, what was Peter's response then? Because He's a follower of Christ at least? Well, He did claim Jesus to be the Messiah. He got it right... He also denied Christ 3 times when the rubber finally hit the road.
So as I read this I naturally asked myself: what is my response? I mean these people had Christ with them. Speaking to them. Healing in front of them. Boldly proclaiming exactly who He is.
Is He doing the same things today? It's sometimes hard to see- but yes He is. And more! He is present to us in the Mass through the Eucharist. His Word is alive in us through the scriptures. He continues to heal through his Church. We have all He provided back then- on top of hind sight. We can look back on the scriptures and see what He proclaimed and see how the people reacted. We can choose to make better choices than them.
So again, what is my typical response to such Good News?
I pick up stones.
During this season of Lent I am reminded to reflect upon the fact that I, myself, put Christ up on that Cross. As great as a thought as it is- the fact that Jesus would have still died on the Cross for me if I was the only person in the world means that I am a sinner.
I have all these "resources" to me and yet I still pick up stones.
I don't need to go through all the examples of how I fail each and every day. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you too fail just like me.
What drove me to start writing this post was the idea that the people of Israel back then had everything in front of them and they still didn't believe. 2000+ years later we have all that and more and still don't believe!
So what's the hope? What's the point? Why even try?
Because we are made in the Image and Likeness of God. And that isn't just some sweet little saying. It has real weight. It has meaning and reality to it.
It means we not only can rise up and meet Christ where He calls us to be. But it also means we can answer His Call to rise up, pick up OUR crosses and FOLLOW Him. To follow Him doesn't just mean to follow Him to the Resurrection. That's the end goal. That's what we want. But we also must follow Him to Calvary. We must walk the Way of the Cross. And we must also fall- just as Jesus did.
Our struggles are real. And that's okay. If we will allow ourselves to proclaim Christ as our Lord and then trust in Him and rely on Him then He will pour out His saving Grace upon us to help us on our journey.
But we have a good and faithful God. He will not force you to do anything you don't want Him to do.
So, we must say yes. Not just at church. Not just in the morning as we stumble out of bed. Each and everyday. Each and every moment we give to Him.
I'll just close with this prayer:
Dear Lord, we give You thanks and praise for Your faithfulness and goodness. You are God. We love You. We praise you! Come Holy Spirit. We open our hearts to You and ask You to fill us with Your love. Make Your home within us. Work in us. Call us. May we receive Your grace to say yes. We say yes Lord. May You ever be glorified in our lives!
Amen.
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