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Friday, August 03, 2007

Meditation
Matthew 13:54-58

“He’s just a carpenter.” “We know his family; there’s nothing special about him!”

In today’s gospel reading, we see Jesus returning to a cold reception in his hometown after having preached to large, enthusiastic crowds. Despite all he had done elsewhere, no one in Nazareth hailed him as King or Messiah. Instead, they seem to have paid him little heed at all. He was able to perform a few miracles, but no one believed that he was a prophet, much less the Son of God.

Why such a lack of faith? Because the Nazarenes chose their own grasp of Jesus rather than letting his words and actions move them to God, where they could receive the revelation and understanding they needed.

What about us? We know that Jesus is the Son of God. We believe it; we profess it every week at Mass. And yet how often do we treat Jesus as just a well-intentioned carpenter? Do we come to prayer each morning expecting to be lifted up to heaven and touch the very heart and mind of God? Do we go to Mass expecting his glory to be revealed in us through the Eucharist? The hard truth is that we cannot trust our own abilities to bring about the kind of faith that transforms our lives. We simply must rely on God to give us divine revelation by his Holy Spirit.

The good news is that when we do look to the Holy Spirit, we find that he really does want to reveal his Son to us. He really does want to change our hearts, piercing them with the love of Christ in a way that transforms us into his image. As we come to learn who Jesus is, like Peter we will proclaim: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Like Thomas, we will bow before him and cry out: “My Lord and my God.” And like John we will come face-to-face with the life-changing reality that God is love. The more Jesus reveals himself to us, the more we can begin to grasp “what is the breadth and length and height and depth” of the Lord we follow (Ephesians 3:18). Nothing compares to knowing Jesus. The revelation of his love and power is worth striving for!

“Lord, I want to know you. More than anything else, I ask you to reveal yourself to me more deeply than ever before.”

Leviticus 23:1,4-11,15-16,27,34-37; Psalm 81:3-6,10-11

One Bread, One Body

<< Friday, August 3, 2007 >>

Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34-37

Psalm 81

Matthew 13:54-58

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MUCH TOO MUCH

"They were filled with amazement." —Matthew 13:54

We want God to help us, bless us, and be there when we need Him. However, He wants us to help Him, bless Him, and be there when He needs us. We want to tell God what to do, but He wants to tell us what to do and take over our lives. That's much more than we had in mind.

Like the people of Nazareth, we find Jesus "altogether too much" for us (Mt 13:57). If only Jesus would stay in His place, come when He's called, speak only when spoken to, and visit occasionally...

But, no, He wants to run our entire lives and be with us constantly. We can't go anywhere without Him tagging along. We can't go on a date, watch TV, or even go to the bathroom without Him being there, all the time. We might feel like dwelling on sexual fantasies, committing sexual sins, or getting high. Yet with Jesus there all the time, we can't have any "fun."

We have no privacy. We can't do as we please. Jesus is too much. He's too concerned about our actions. He spends too much time with us. Twenty-four hours a day, every day, is excessive. Jesus refuses to be Lord of anything in our lives unless He can be Lord of everything.

Is He asking too much?

Prayer: Jesus, because You died for me, I give my life to You unreservedly.

Promise: "When you come into the land which I am giving you, and reap your harvest, you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest." —Lv 23:10

Praise: Having experienced a conversion of heart, Rhonda felt uncomfortable smoking cigarettes knowing the Lord was always present. She prayed for and received deliverance from her addiction.