Posts
1 Peter 2:20b-25
Beloved:
If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good,
this is a grace before God.
For to this you have been called,
because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.
He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.
When he was insulted, he returned no insult;
when he suffered, he did not threaten;
instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross,
so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed.
For you had gone astray like sheep,
but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
+ + + + +
All the readings at Mass were thought-provoking yesterday but I have been contemplating this one most. Jesus committed not one sin because, being God, He was not capable of such a thing. He suffered unspeakable torture at the hands of others, yet He willingly bore it all because He knew He had to do it for all of us. I can't imagine what He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew what lie ahead for Him. I think He gave us the ultimate example of saying "yes" to doing God's will in those moments.
Why is it so hard for us to say yes to God? Why do we always seem to want what WE want, not what God wants? Can't we figure out, once and for all, that what God wants is the very best for us and we should go with it? Sometimes, I wonder if we allow circumstances to get in the way of doing our best for God. Something painful happens, we get thrown for a loop, and there we are, off doing our own thing instead of seeking God in the situation. If we could only figure out that God is our solace, our peace, our deliverance from evil, our light, we'd be so much better off. OR everything is going along very well and we figure it's all because of what we're doing. We don't think much about God's place in our lives. What importance do we give God in our lives? Shouldn't we be praising Him ALL the time about everything that happens to us?
Let us pray for one another to do better for God. Let us praise Him with all our might, with every breath we take. Let us allow Him to be the fire within our hearts.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Dearest,
ReplyDeleteBeautifully stated! You should be a homilist...
Thanks, Jacquie. I'd rather write. Public speaking is too nerve-racking, even though I've done my fair share of it over the years.
ReplyDeleteOh Joanne,
ReplyDeleteAgain you en-flesh God's Word into our everyday lives. Is that not what women do? Is that what Mary did when she said Yes to God's Word. And now you call us to choose God's will in everything so we no longer live for ourselves, we no longer live ourselves but Christ lives in us, He becomes flesh in us, that is, completely takes our lives, our flesh, our being into Himself so we are one with Him, one body, one flesh with Him. All because as you have challenged us to seek and praise and embrace God's will, God's Word in all we do and and experience. You women are made for this. You, Joanne, by your writings and example are proof of the Word becoming flesh in us as we accept God's will, no embrace God's will even in are greatest sufferings and setbacks. Again thank you Joanne for calling us to surrender to all God is doing in our lives. And as we do this as you so wisely said: just praise Him for all He does for us and in us continuously.
Jim