- Realize how awesome it is to have God, as the prayer goes, "in all the tabernacles of the world".
- Each year, thousands of people travel to Rome and wait on line just to be in the same hall as the Pope; to be in his presence. Jesus Christ gives Himself to us in the Eucharist each day; not just to be in the same room with Him but to consume Him and make him part of us.
- Mary and the others are trying to get close to Jesus, but the crowds are in their way. What's in our lives that gets between us and Christ?
- His family gets a message to Him. We have ability to send Christ a message whenever we want. It's called prayer.
- Jesus tells the crowd that anybody who hears the Word of God and acts upon it has His attention just as much as someone related to Him. Is there anyone (or anything) in our lives that competes with God for our attention? What do we do about that?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
September 22
The readings at Mass today revolve around God's house: Ezra's account of the re-dedication of the Temple, the re-establishment of the Levitical Priesthood, and the first celebration of the Passover since the Babylonian exile; Psalm 122's "Let us go to God's house rejoicing"; Mary and Jesus' "brothers" waiting for Him outside the house he's in. It made me think of these things:
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"Jesus Christ gives Himself to us in the Eucharist each day; not just to be in the same room with Him but to consume Him and make him part of us."
This is something I made a point of stressing a Bible Study earlier this year. We were reading the First Epistle of St. John (which was the Second Reading at the time), and I pointed out that John (and Jesus) talk about Christ abiding in us and us abiding in Him. Jesus is not just some role model for us to look up to -- we have enough earthly role models, but not of them can make the claims or promises or offers that Jesus makes.
Who believes that he "abides" in his role model, and his role model in him? But we are told that this is what Christ does: this is a living relationship not just WITH the Lord, but IN Him.
What struck me from this short Gospel passage is how plainly Jesus puts it: "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it." (Luke 8:21) We're called, as St. James reminds us, to not just be hearers of the Word, but doers also. (cf. James 1:22) It's that old faith-and-works chestnut. :)
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