DO I REALLY KNOW JESUS?

SABBATH

“This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, but no sign will be given, except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus could be very blunt, even harsh, when He encounters refusal and unbelief in His message and His person. In today’s Gospel, He addresses people who do not accept His words with faith.

Jesus knew Himself as one sent from the Father; His actions and words were given Him by God. Therefore, to reject Him is to reject His Father. When His Father’s honor was at stake, He did not mince words. He spoke out forcibly and became even sharply aggressive when He encountered hypocrisy and deliberate violation of God’s law.

Any image of Jesus then that does not include this outspoken attitude in the face of unbelief along with His mercifulbehavior towards those who truly seek God is defective, even misleading. Nothing is more foreign to Jesus’ character than sentimental overlooking of weaknesses; He requires a confrontation with the truth of one’s sinfulness and of God’s holiness on all who draw near to Him. We who put our faith in Him have the task of forming our own concept of who He is and what He is like based on what He has revealed about Himself to us. We shall never fully grasp, in all its comprehensiveness, His person. Our task is, within the limits of our capacity increased by grace, to approximate ever more closely a true knowledge of His person.

May our faith in Him and our longing for Him ever be strong and courageous so that we may know Him in the completeness of His person, that is, not only His loving mercy but also His demanding dedication to the Father’s will. Then we shall be more able to follow Him faithfully in our sufferings and struggles, in death and in life, until we meet Him at the end in the fullness of His glory. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD Reflection Question: What is my image of Jesus? Is it formed by pious pictures or by the Bible? Lord, I have fabricated an image of You according to my wishes. It is a sentimental image. Lord, help me to know and accept You as You are — even when You are demanding and have to scold me. St. Tanca, pray for us.