Is it hard to open in humility to our Lord?
In each of Jesus’ appearances to his disciples after his resurrection, Jesus tries to help them understand the Scriptures, so that they can grasp why it was necessary for him to suffer, die, and rise. In every instance, the disciples must trust, ready to let Jesus open their minds, so that they understand what he is now about. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus shows the disciples his hands and feet, allowing them to touch and see. And they remain incredulous for joy, believing, yet still aware that they understand so very little. Even as he insists, Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer, and rise from the dead on the third day, his disciples’ faith requires humility. They don’t fully comprehend, but will rely on his commands to teach them how to act, how to be. You are witnesses of these things, he tells them, and they will be – if only they begin from a position of faith, a position of humility.
When, in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter calls the people to repentance for putting Jesus, the author of life, to death, Peter knows that in so doing, they managed to follow God’s plan to bring salvation into the world. To repent is to accept the salvation Christ has effected for us through his death and rising. Only God could make this happen. To accept this fact is to accept the Lord’s call to humility, as it means a radical change in how we understand the world and how we understand our relationship with our God. Similarly, if Jesus is the expiation of our sins, as 1 John explains, then Jesus continues to bring salvation to us as we stumble along our way, attempting to keep his commandments in keeping with the Scriptures. Ultimately, we must accept with all humility that Christ came to bring forgiveness into our lives, to give us the opportunity to dwell in his love; in all things, humility must be at the core of our relationship with the Lord. Only then will we be able to, as Psalm 4 suggests, fall peacefully asleep, knowing that the Lord brings security to our dwelling. Only then will we know the joy of resurrection, incredulous perhaps, but open to the Lord’s presence in our midst, ready for our minds to be opened by the Lord.
This post was based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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