A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 7:18B-23
At that time, John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” When the men came to the Lord, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’” At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he also granted sight to many who were blind. And Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
REFLECTION: ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’
In 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 we read, "Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified”.
Not that I am a preacher, nor that I have trained, but I find these verses quite instructive and worrisome. It explains my thoughts when asked if I am ready for the second coming of Christ. Have I driven myself so as to make it to heaven or will I be shocked when I realize I did not make it?
I am a cradle born Catholic. Most of my life I have taken for granted-- my faith, friends, life, and my journey toward salvation. Most of all I had taken for granted who Jesus was in my life.
Imagine the followers of John the Baptist. Some had preconceived notions of who the Messiah would be.
Would he have an army, or a royal palace or walk around defeating the Roman Empire?
But here was a carpenter‘s son - a humble carpenter Himself - whose miracles are seen and felt by many.
Over and over we have to surrender our expectations, our assumptions, our disappointments, our struggles and our crosses and ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”
Do we need to look any further? Jesus is the Word made flesh. He is the Bread of Life. He is our salvation. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to the Sacrifice of Love.
God Bless You
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