I have had the opportunity of meeting some "great" people in my lifetime . . . "great" meaning "famous." It was an initial thrill for me, but also a teachable moment. No matter what the circumstance, I was always impressed by one thing that one might think, would be quite obvious: they were all human, with vulnerabilities and idiosyncrasies that made them seem exactly like me! Hmmm. Kind of funny, isn't it? I had really put these people on a pedestal of sorts, and didn't expect to meet and greet them on this other level. Yet, the grace of God has been so generous in our lives. We believe without having seen. Jesus Last Supper Prayer wanted this to be so: "I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word . . . " (Jn 17:20)
I suppose the opposite was the case for those who came to know Jesus. They thought he was exactly like them. He wore the same clothes, walked the same paths, spoke the same language, and appeared to be one of them. When they had the opportunity to be with him, they realized there was much more to this man who came into their lives. He was good. He was holy. He was as Bishop Robert Barron says so eloquently, "Yahweh moving around his people." Emmanuel. God with us.
And today, in these post-Resurrection times, he is most definitely here too. He hasn't left us. The difference of our time and the time of his visible presence among us, is that we walk now by faith and not by sight. Have you ever asked yourself the question that comes to my mind from time to time "If I were alive when Jesus walked the earth, would I have followed him? Would I have recognized him?
There is a certitude with which we have been blessed in these post-Resurrection times, the times of the presence of the Holy Spirit Who moves within and without us, reminding us of all Jesus had wanted us to know. That is why we have the courage to keep on trying, no matter how difficult our lives may be. That is why we grow in maintaining an unshakeable confidence in Christ's presence, carrying us when only one set of footprints can be seen.
Thank God with me today, for who you are and who you are called to be in this time of the Risen Christ and His Spirit. Sing an alleluia in your heart or bravely sing it for all to hear . . . knowing that there is absoluting nothing that can separate you from the love of God, poured out in Christ Jesus.
We indeed have "something greater than Jonah" here.
I suppose the opposite was the case for those who came to know Jesus. They thought he was exactly like them. He wore the same clothes, walked the same paths, spoke the same language, and appeared to be one of them. When they had the opportunity to be with him, they realized there was much more to this man who came into their lives. He was good. He was holy. He was as Bishop Robert Barron says so eloquently, "Yahweh moving around his people." Emmanuel. God with us.
And today, in these post-Resurrection times, he is most definitely here too. He hasn't left us. The difference of our time and the time of his visible presence among us, is that we walk now by faith and not by sight. Have you ever asked yourself the question that comes to my mind from time to time "If I were alive when Jesus walked the earth, would I have followed him? Would I have recognized him?
There is a certitude with which we have been blessed in these post-Resurrection times, the times of the presence of the Holy Spirit Who moves within and without us, reminding us of all Jesus had wanted us to know. That is why we have the courage to keep on trying, no matter how difficult our lives may be. That is why we grow in maintaining an unshakeable confidence in Christ's presence, carrying us when only one set of footprints can be seen.
Thank God with me today, for who you are and who you are called to be in this time of the Risen Christ and His Spirit. Sing an alleluia in your heart or bravely sing it for all to hear . . . knowing that there is absoluting nothing that can separate you from the love of God, poured out in Christ Jesus.
We indeed have "something greater than Jonah" here.
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