There is something irresistible about the truth. You might try to bury it; that will not, however, bring satisfaction and serenity but only an irritating and persistent urge to seek it all the more. Although it is often mistakenly thought that an end can be brought to this desire by acquiring material objects, the heart cannot long be fooled, the depth of Eternal Beauty continues to draw you.
Jesus Christ
Third Sunday of Lent: Come to the Well of Jesus and Drink Living Water
On this Third Sunday of Lent the first reading from Exodus (17:3-7) recalls Israel’s journey through the desert. In many ways, the journey of Israel toward the Promised Land is presently our own journey. As Israel thirsted, so too do we thirst, although perhaps in a different way and for different reasons. The people Israel frequently fell into unfaithfulness, idolatry, and distrust in God. Do we not do the same types of things? Even so, driven by divine love, God continued to lead his people toward the Promised Land, as he does with us, which is in fact not merely a place to put up shelter, nor a plot of ground upon which to temporarily live, but is a Person: Jesus Christ.
Jesus Does Not Issue Impossible Demands
To be perfect is both a command and a promise. We become perfect in becoming like God. Such a sublime gift is made possible by the Son of God becoming man, that we may be justified before God, that we may receive the Spirit of God, that we may share in the divine life of God. Yet while God does the divine work, we must do the human work by following Jesus Christ who commands us to live a life of authentic, Christian discipleship and love.
The Great Danger to Christians is the Wrong Type of Success
Someone once said that the great danger to Christians is not failure but success at things that don’t really matter. You may know all about botany, music, art, history, aerodynamics, math, electronics, politics, hobbies and so forth, but what do you know about God? Are you a successful Christian?
Repent, For the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand
The immediate response to the gaze of Jesus Christ by Peter, Andrew, James and John signals the fact that a radical change took place within their hearts. That moment, there on the shore of the sea, was no ordinary moment. The fishermen were not simply willing to let go of their way of life and the past, but actively desired to do so. More to the point, they hungered for a new life. They sensed, by God’s grace working in their souls, that this new life is itself Jesus Christ.