Monday, May 4, 2015

Many Religious and others have been Saints without meditation, but without obedience no one.


To pick up a straw from the ground through obedience is more meritorious than to preach, to fast, to use the discipline to blood, and to make long prayers, of one's own will. ----St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, S.J. (1532 – 1617 Spanish Jesuit lay brother)

Gospel Text: (JN 14:21-26)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves me.
Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him,
“Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us
and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name—
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”

Many listen to Jesus without hearing, and look without seeing (Mt 13:14-15). Those who have received Jesus' revelation are open to receive more of it, while those who have closed themselves to what Jesus has been trying to reveal to them will lose even the little they thought they knew of Him (Mt 13:12).

God will reveal Himself to us even if we are misguided (see Acts 14:15) as long as we are seeking Him with a spirit of openness. Jesus even revealed Himself to Pontius Pilate (Jn 18:36ff), who at least appeared to be partially listening to Him. However, if we are closed to Jesus and are not seeking Him, as was King Herod (Lk 23:9), Jesus may have nothing to reveal to us because we are closed to His revelation.

Listen to Jesus (Lk 10:39).

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