Paul Claudet writes The Gospels show us the Savior coming to the soul and imparting truth and virtue by the touch of a hand, the brushing of a garment, a bit of moistened earth applied to the locked eyelids. One look from him is enough to make an apostle out of that idler yawning under the fig tree…
What Paul writes is poetic. Many times words or phrases from the gospel touch our hearts, and we feel inspired and lifted up. But such sentiments, wonderful as they are, often fail us when life tumbles and we are grasping for something solid. Just like Bartholomew, being moved by the words of Jesus is not enough. When his life tumbled, and suffering surrounded him and his Master, Bartholomew, along with the all the other apostles, deserted Jesus in the garden. They had heard and were amazed at what Jesus said. But they had not imbibed those words at a deeper level. They had to realize that the beauty of Jesus words give life only when we make them our own.
There are times in our lives when the words that once sounded poetic and profound no longer inspire. That is a good time for us, a time laden with grace, because it brings us to a new awareness. It brings us to a point where we cannot continue as passive spectators. If we allow it, the very questioning we begin opens up the truths we believe in, allowing us to delve deeper. Only when we find better answers, ones brought out by our own ponderings and not some pious sentiment found in a book, will we find strength in Jesus words.
No comments:
Post a Comment