Friars Corner: Becoming the Light of Jesus
Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR
Exodus 20:1-17; Psalms 19:8-11; 1 Corinthians 1:22-25; John 2:13-25
Once we find Jesus, we are so attracted to him that we want to learn more about him. Did you find the picture of Jesus on the web that I told you about last week? Do his eyes tell you that he loves you?
How can you get to know him more? By reading the gospel stories and teachings of his earliest and most dedicated followers in the New Testament. St. John, the apostle, tells us in 8:31-32 of the New Jerusalem Bible, “If you make my Word your home, you will become my disciples (students); you will learn my Truth and my Truth will set you free.”
Say a little prayer for guidance of the Holy Spirit and meditate on the gospel stories. You then become Jesus’ student. You are set free by his truth, not all the things of the world.
Become the light of Jesus
There are several themes we can follow with this week’s readings. We can look at the Ten Commandments, Jesus as the New Temple. We can see Jesus as the new Moses or Jesus’ new plan for a productive life on earth. As we get electrified about Jesus we become his lights in the world, not birthday candles, but his brighter lights or torches. My plan for Lent is to get closer to Jesus. I want to know how he wants me to be a brighter torch for our Catholic Christian life.
The Ten Commandments were the fourth covenant God made with Israel as he moved them from being a large tribe under Abraham to being a nation under Moses in 1300 B.C. The first three commandments are about our relationship with God. The last seven are social rules to live a good and peaceful life with each other. Do we need that today? God’s Son came to earth to forgive our sins of disobedience and establish a New Covenant in the Blood of his passion and death. As Jesus came back from the dead, we know God accepted the sacrifice of Jesus in our place on the cross.
New kingdom
Jesus showed us by his life and relationship with humans the path of God’s new kingdom of peace and joy. St. Matthew 5:3-11 gives us the nine new guidelines for Catholic Christian life in the Beatitudes from the Sermon of the Mount.
St. John tells us many wonderful things about Jesus as the New Way, Truth and Life, John 14:6. In John 11:25 Jesus’ Resurrection, if we follow him, points us to a new and glorious life after our death as we shall get a body like his resurrected body. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, Jn 10:11; he is the Vine, we are the branches, John 15:15:5. Jesus is the Fountain of Living Water, John 4:14. he is our daily Bread from heaven, John 6:51, and he is the best and brightest Light of the world, John 8:12.
Glow brighter
As we meditate on the themes and read the Bible footnotes, our minds become enlightened and we desire more of Jesus and his love. We begin to glow brighter because of his presence and power. Our joy increases greatly and we want to tell others about Jesus. In these ways we can teach others how to find Jesus for themselves.
The old Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman army in 70 A.D. and has not been rebuilt. Jesus is the New Temple. his presence in all the Christian Churches in the world points to the fact of his new Kingdom.
The Trinity within
From our baptism the whole Trinity, Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit came to live inside our human body. The Trinity is in us unless we throw Them all out through serious disobedience (sins). By God’s presence we also become his temples as the Trinity lives in us. As we become more aware of these things by our prayers, meditation and sacraments, we can be those “torches” in the world that God wants us to be.
As I celebrate Holy Mass most days, I realize more and more who I hold in my hands. I am becoming more lost in this mystery entrusted to us. I am floating more spiritually. What an awesome gift to hold the living God in my hands, to get more divine power and give Jesus to others. We celebrate the life, death and resurrection of the living God in an un-bloody way. Jesus “invites” us to receive his “daily bread.” He does not force us and always has a new gift for us. As we realize this great blessing we want to receive him more often.
“O Come, All Ye Faithful, joyful and triumphant…” Praise God.
Have a good week,
+ Fr. Bob Hilz
(© 2018 Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR)
