Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, Jesus begins to give the apostles a glimpse of the Father’s will for him. He explains that he must suffer greatly, be killed, and rise after three days. This must have been very difficult for the apostles to hear. We see this when Peter responds by taking Jesus aside and rebuking him. Peter can’t grasp that this is the will of the Father. At this, Christ responds with a phrase that is extremely important for us to ponder: “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” This response isn’t a slight on humans. It is a call to action.
God has a plan for each and every single one of us that will be completely fulfilling. But how do we come to know this plan? Oftentimes, like Peter, we think we know exactly how things should be done. We think we know what is best for us and what we need to do to make that happen. In a sense, we think our idea of God’s will is better than his actual will. However, we are simply thinking “as human beings do.” If we think in this way, without God’s guidance, we are going to become confused, troubled, and dissatisfied.
However, there is hope. The more we are conformed to Christ, the more we are attuned to His will. We begin to see things as he does. We begin to think as he does. We begin to love and see others as he does. We begin to understand his will for our lives.
If this is true, then how in the world do we become like Christ? The answer is simple: we have to pray! Prayer is essential. We have to run to Christ every single day. The more we quiet our hearts and spend time with Christ in prayer, the more our hearts will be open to receive the graces we need to live out God’s will. When we pray, Jesus is able to enter into our lives and mold our hearts after his own. One major way we can live out this prayer life is by spending time before the Blessed Sacrament. The Eucharistic gaze of Jesus Christ is powerful. When we spend time in his Eucharistic presence and open our hearts to him, he is able to look at us, tell us who we are, and who he’s calling us to be.
Reflection by Trevor, seminarian
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections