Thursday, March 30, 2023
We are a joyful community of disciples proclaiming the Good News and inviting all people to encounter the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.
“Who do you make yourself out to be?...Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be I AM.”
(John 8: 53-58)
Do I Believe What Jesus Says?
In this chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus clearly and repeatedly tells the Jewish leaders and the people who he is. He unmistakably uses the Divine Name, I AM, to identify himself-- the same Name revealed by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai to reveal himself to the Israelites.
Earlier in this same encounter with the leaders, Jesus tells them that if they do not believe that he is I AM they will die in their sins. Yet they keep asking him again, “Who do you make yourself out to be?” And when he repeats and confirms his answer, they picked up stones to throw at him. Never mind that they have seen him perform countless signs and miracles and teach with divine wisdom and authority. He looks like any other man and they know his family. He is far from the Messiah they are expecting.
As I pondered this Scripture I was thinking, “How blind can these people be? Don’t they hear! Don’t they see!" And then it occurred to me that we are not so different today. How often do we judge others on their appearances and dismiss their God-given gifts and talents if “they don’t fit the part”…my biases, my expectations? Or Jesus gives us the Eucharist and he says “This is my body” (Matthew 26:26, Mark 14:22, Luke 22:19,) but 70% of Catholics try to rationalize that it is just a symbol.
Yet my life experience tells me something quite different. Sometimes the most unassuming person, “the least likely” is the one God has gifted to solve a problem or accomplish a great work. Or the mischievous child, or the teenager that had gone astray, turns out to be the one that responds to the call to the priesthood or religious life. And when I receive the Eucharist, I experience God’s loving presence in me… the Great I AM is with me, not in symbol, but in reality.
Do I believe what Jesus says? How much do I miss out in life when I limit myself to my own limited understanding?
Lord, grant us the grace to believe your Word and experience you in a deeper way in our lives and reverence you in the lives of others.
Lord, grant us the grace to believe your Word and experience you in a deeper way in our lives and reverence you in the lives of others.
Reflection by:
Alicia Goodwin is the Director of the Marian Servants of Divine Providence®, a Public Association of the Faithful of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, and a community of Spirit-filled men and women guiding God’s people to healing, freedom and purpose in Christ through healing prayer, spiritual direction, and retreats. Their Cenacle of Our Lady of Divine Providence School of Spiritual Direction® offers certification for spiritual directors in association with Franciscan University of Steubenville. They are located at Our Lady of Divine Providence House of Prayer® by Old Tampa Bay in Clearwater, FL. where all are welcome to attend Masses, Adoration and special speaker events. Alicia holds a Master in Theological Studies from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX and a B.A. in Languages and Linguistics from Florida Atlantic University. She and her husband Lee have 3 children, 4 grandchildren and one adorable great grandchild. For more information on the Marian Servants please visit www.divineprovidence.org.