THURSDAY IN PASSION WEEK
In all truth I tell you,
whoever keeps my word
will never see death.
—John 8:51
We are subject to the temptations of this world: greed and lust, violence and revenge, hatred and destruction. We are not immune to the powers of the beasts. Therefore we have to help each other keep our hearts and minds directed toward the Son of Man, so that we will recognize him when he comes and will be free to stand with confidence before him (see Luke 21:36). We have to keep ourselves and each other anchored in his words, because “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Luke 21:33). It is on that eternal Word, who became flesh and lived among us, that our hope is built.
We are called to be disciples of Jesus What counts is being attentive at all times to the voice of God’s love inviting us to obey, that is, to listen with an attentive heart.
How can we keep listening to this voice in a world which does its best to distract us and get our attention for seemingly more urgent matters?... Listen to the church. I know that that isn’t a popular bit of advice at a time and in a country where the church is frequently seen more as an “obstacle” in the way rather than as the “way” to Jesus. Nevertheless, I’m profoundly convinced that the greatest spiritual danger for our times is the separation of Jesus from the church. The church is the body of the Lord. Without Jesus there can be no church; and without the church we cannot stay united with Jesus. I’ve yet to meet anyone who has come closer to Jesus by forsaking the church. To listen to the church is to listen to the Lord of the church. Specifically, this means taking part in the church’s liturgical life. Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost; these seasons and feasts teach us to know Jesus better and better and unite us more and more intimately with the divine life he offers us in the church.
The Eucharist is the heart of the church’s life. It’s there that we hear the life-giving Gospel and receive the gifts that sustain that life within us. The best assurance that we’ll keep listening to the church is our regular participation in the Eucharist.
Our Prayer
O God, it is impossible to believe you
without faith,
since anyone who comes to you
must believe that you exist
and reward those who seek you.
—After Heh. 11:6