WHAT ASTONISHES YOU?
I
am sure we have all listened to someone preach — a priest or lay person
— and we were not convinced by his or her words. Something was missing
from what was being said.
When Scripture tells us that the people who listen to Jesus are
astonished at His teaching because He teaches with authority, we ask
what it is that makes Jesus’ teaching authoritative. What do people
experience in the person of Jesus that makes Him different from so many
others?
As I reflect upon the Gospels — and I have read them dozens of times —
one of the first things that stands out about Jesus is His integrity. He
always acts upon what He says — a man whose life truly reflects all
that it should
be — both to Himself and to everyone who meets or gets to know Him.
This is what Jesus’ mission is all about — revealing to the world the love of God the Father and inviting us to receive that love and allow it to transform our lives.
As Hamlet would say, “Aye, there’s the rub!” The Gospel is about God’s
promises for us, but these promises will never be fulfilled unless we
surrender our lives to Him. The immensity of God’s grace is unleashed in
our lives only when we give Him the permission to transform our lives with His love.
Is this what you want for your life? Think about it before you answer.
Being a disciple of Jesus comes with a price, namely, that we place our lives in the service of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Are you willing to go
where Jesus leads you? Are you willing to surrender all to His will and
embrace it as your own? This is part and parcel of what it means to
follow Jesus. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
REFLECTION
QUESTIONS: What do you want to do with your life? Do you want to remain
in control or will you surrender your whole life to Jesus?
Jesus, You have obediently followed the will of God, Your Father. Help me to do the same.
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