Why are you looking for Jesus? Is it because you love Him, or because you love you? Jesus is the Bread of Life. Those who come to Him will never be hungry, and those who believe in Him shall not thirst again (Jn 6:35). Jesus provides all our needs.
Nevertheless, Jesus wants us to look for Him primarily to love Him, not to have Him meet our needs. Even if the Lord lets everything be taken from us, as happened to Job, we should pray: "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!" (Jb 1:21) "Though the fig tree blossom not nor fruit be on the vines, though the yield of the olive fail and the terraces produce no nourishment, though the flocks disappear from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet will I rejoice in the Lord and exult in my saving God" (Hab 3:17-18).
May we love God as He loves us – unconditionally and sacrificially. What we're getting out of life, prayer, or Mass is not as important as what God's getting out of us. Even if we're rejected, persecuted, and martyred, as long as the Lord is pleased and being loved, that's all that counts. We don't need to get our way as long as Jesus gets His way. We have been crucified with Christ, and the lives we live now are not our own (Gal 2:19-20). Impelled by this love for Jesus, we live no longer for ourselves, but for Him Who for our sakes died and was raised up (2 Cor 5:14-15). Jesus said: "He who seeks only himself brings himself to ruin, whereas he who brings himself to nought for Me discovers who he is" (Mt 10:39). Live for God alone.
| PRAYER: | Father, to me may Your love be "a greater good than life" (Ps 63:4). |
| PROMISE: | "Stephen...was a man filled with grace and power, who worked great wonders and signs among the people." –Acts 6:8 |
| PRAISE: | St. George endured torture as he gave his life for Jesus. In Greece, he is called "the Great Martyr." |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College