Last post, I wrote about being open to the possibility of Jesus transforming our hearts, being open to a real and personal encounter with Christ, and being ready to accept his Love. We need to let Him find that crack in our hearts of stone and give us new hearts.
But how can we be open to Him?
Honestly, much smarter minds than mine have tackled this question. But it seems to me that the desire to want to know and be with God is enough. He will find you, like the Good Shepherd that He is.
It is our job to accept Him – but to accept Him as He is, not as we want Him to be.
In chapter 6 of Gospel of John we hear Jesus’ bread of life discourse, which he gave to large crowds at the height of his popularity. People were flocking to him from everywhere. He was healing people, working miracles, all these outward signs for the people.
But then He turns to these disciples and says you must eat my flesh and drink my blood, and they all turn away, because to partake in His flesh and blood is participate in His sacrifice. It is to accept all the hard things that Jesus is saying to them. Surely, He couldn’t mean that he expects us to do hard things. He came to heal and conquer and give us all the good things and take back this world for us.
NO! No, He didn’t!
They realize that Jesus is not going to just make life perfect, as the long awaited Messiah was expected to do, and they turn away. And we are still doing this today. I think we want the Jesus that heals and the Jesus that helps, but we don’t want the Jesus that serves and suffers.
So, when we seek only the healing, helping Jesus, but He offers us struggle, work and servitude, we begin to turn away. We close our hearts. We find ourselves struggling with doubts about the point of it all.
When I being to doubt that Jesus is the Messiah, the one true God, in all that this means, that’s when rituals become cold, pointless motions. When I seek my own desires and expectations, I turn in on myself and I shut Jesus out.
Let us not be like those disciples that turn to leave. Let us follow St. Peter and claim “To whom shall we go? You have the words of everlasting life” (John 6:68). And as the Holy Mother teaches us, let us listen to whatever he tells us to do (even if it is hard).
Miracles will happen when we listen to Him and accept Him.
As we act in obedience, we will grow in grace, even as the world tells us that we are oppressed by religion. We will thrive, even as the world thinks we are struggling. We will grow in peace, even as the world hates us. We will suffer, but will revel in it. And we will not care what social media tells us because we have safely put our trust in the heart of Jesus. These are the miracles that come from acceptance of Jesus as He is.
So I encourage you today, turn to Jesus and ask Him to open your heart. Ask Him to help you to accept Him and His infinite Love. He’s waiting for you to ask. And when he finds that crack in your heart, he will transform and conform your heart to His.
Have no anxiety at all…make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
