Love Watches

"The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the best time you will spend on earth. Each moment that you spend with Jesus will deepen your union with Him and make your soul everlastingly more glorious and beautiful in Heaven, and will help bring about everlasting peace on earth," - Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Gospel text (Jn 10:31-42): The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?”
The Jews answered him,
“We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God.”
Jesus answered them,
“Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.

He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
“John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true.”
And many there began to believe in him.

A week from today is Good Friday. For some days now, our scriptures have been pointing us toward the Triduum. In the gospel of John today, we recognize the same sort of bold yet humble rebuke from Jesus that we hear on Good Friday when the soldier slaps him: “If I have said anything wrong, tell me; if not why did you strike me?”

“How do you know Jesus is God? How do you affirm him?” In order to not be one of the people throwing stones at Jesus in the Gospel of today, shouldn’t we know why we believe that Jesus is one with God so I’m not one of the ones claiming he’s a blasphemer?

It’s something that I think each one of us are called to think about today: why do we believe that Jesus is a part of the Holy Trinity and not just a blasphemous man? (And you can’t say 'because that’s what church doctrine tells us to believe'!) I came up with my reason after only a little bit of thinking. When I go to Eucharist Adoration with a young adult group in New York City, I would periodically see some very educated and gifted young professionals, who are thriving in one of the biggest cities in the world break down and cry. These men and women had never felt so close or connected with Jesus until that time. During those moments, I would feel as if He was there, speaking, helping, guiding all of us. It is such a powerful experience that I can’t quite put it into words. But that’s why I know Jesus is not just a man claiming to be God – how could a simple human speak through the wonders of adoration and move people that much?

During this Lenten season we are called to question how we know that Jesus is Lord and not just a blasphemous man. By doing so, we separate ourselves from those throwing rocks and strengthen our faith in Christ. I found my reason; what’s yours?

http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/pea/a2.html