Sunday Reflections

Who does not love Jesus?  Certainly, every Christian would claim to love Jesus. Indeed, we would even find many who do not identify themselves as Christians, but who would profess some love for Jesus. But, keep his word? Well, this proves to be more of a challenge…even for Christians.

Remember, when God comes to meet us in the person of Jesus, he is killed. Why? We may love him, but his words call us to re-order our lives, and we usually do not want God to interfere in our lives. Jesus does not come as a large department store greeter, smilingly saying, “Have a nice day!” (Who would kill this type of God?) Instead, he lives in a certain way and invites us to follow that way…and this way will inevitably disrupt our way of living. While Jesus’ way may seem initially attractive, the re-ordering of our lives is not. In a bizarre way, we would rather cling to our idols (that ultimately enslave us) instead of conforming ourselves to Jesus (who ultimately sets us free).

The freedom that Jesus offers us is to live a fully human life; that is, a human life that is fulfilling. Jesus insists that if we love him and keep his word, God will dwell in us and we will find peace. This is not a false peace that comes from filling ourselves up with the attractions of the world (money, consumer goods, celebrity status, etc.), but a true peace that comes from emptying ourselves so that we can imitate Jesus in acts of love, of service, and of self-sacrifice. 

Imitating Jesus in this way—re-ordering our lives for the sake of another—can cost us something. We can find it difficult to trust that Jesus will be “our enough” in these situations. We might be tempted “to build bigger barns,” where we store up our own treasures. We might not believe that God will look after us like the birds in the sky or the wild flowers in the field. We might be tempted to take the path of the young man “who went away sad.” We might find it hard to trust “like a little child.” 

In the midst of these fears, Jesus speaks to us today, just as he spoke to the disciples during his last meal: “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” Jesus, who calls us to follow him in service and self-sacrifice, sends his Spirit to strengthen our faith in God who will nourish us with food and drink that will last, to encourage our hope in God’s promise to be with us always, to deepen our love so that we can love others with the very love of God.