What can faith teach us about intimacy?
When, in this Sunday’s reading from John’s Gospel, Jesus
tells the Jewish leaders that he is the
good shepherd, he is setting himself in stark contrast to them. Unlike the authorities who are unsettled by
his teachings because they themselves fall short, Jesus is the image of perfect
love, ready to lay down his life for his
sheep; although he is all too aware of his followers’ faults, he loves them
still, and invites them to enter into his life, and to share his life, his
intimacy, with the Father. The profound
love that compels Jesus to the cross is the profound love into which we are
baptized. To be open to that love is to
recognize that Jesus is the Messiah, sent to bring salvation to all; faith,
then, is about acceptance of that love, a love that fosters deeper connection,
profound intimacy, with the God of love.
Because they know that intimacy of connection, we see in Acts, Peter and
John are able to heal, as Peter tells the Jewish authorities, in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean. Jesus is their cornerstone, their foundation, without whom intimacy with God, love,
and salvation are impossible. They know
the profound love the Father has bestowed
on us, know the intimacy that is theirs because they are children of God (1 John). They can therefore, like the author of Psalm 118, give thanks to the Lord before
the Jewish leaders, knowing God’s mercy
is theirs, trusting in the intimacy of profound love that is their refuge.
Do we have their faith in the gift of intimacy,
in the
promise of God’s profound love for us?
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
Image source: Wordle
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