B
BarbaraTherese
Guest
Thursday 27th. December
Readings
usccb.org/nab/122707.shtml
Meditation
wau.org/meditations/meditations.asp?month=12&day=27&year=2007&x=9&y=6
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they put him.” (John 20:2)
Mary Magdalene was devastated. Jesus, whom she had believed was the Messiah, was arrested and crucified. She loved him so much that she returned to the tomb to anoint his body—but there she discovered that the tomb had been opened and that Jesus’ body was gone.
While Jesus was alive, she had heard him say more than once that he would die and rise again on the third day, but at that moment of grief, all she could focus on was his death and ominous disappearance. She felt sure that his body had been stolen. All of Jesus’ promises, all the beauty of his teaching, meant nothing to her in that moment. All she could see was an empty tomb, and she lost her faith.
On the other hand, when John entered the very same tomb and saw the very same burial cloths that Mary saw, he believed (John 20:8). Something clicked in his memory and in his heart. Unlike Mary, who could see only what was in front of her, John saw beyond the evidence and believed that God has done something. He may not have understood it completely at that point, but still he believed. He held on to the bit of faith he had and sought for it to be deepened. God was moving, and he wanted to see how it would end.
Can we do the same? After all, we weren’t there on the first Christmas Day. Can we truly believe that the Messiah who was born among us has died and is now risen? Can we, like John, wait eagerly but patiently for Jesus to reveal himself to us? When your faith is weak, all you have to do is seek the Lord and tell him that you love him. In his time, Jesus will move you to a deeper faith. He will send the Holy Spirit to embolden you to spread the good news that Almighty God really has come among us. So hold fast to your faith like John. In the end, you’ll find great rewards from Jesus himself! “Jesus, I want to believe in you more fully. Search my heart and where there is any unbelief, fill me with belief.”
Lectio Divina and a deeper insight into the Reading (Scroll down to “Reflection”)
ocarm.org/lectio/annoA_eng/022eng.htm
Readings
usccb.org/nab/122707.shtml
Meditation
wau.org/meditations/meditations.asp?month=12&day=27&year=2007&x=9&y=6
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they put him.” (John 20:2)
Mary Magdalene was devastated. Jesus, whom she had believed was the Messiah, was arrested and crucified. She loved him so much that she returned to the tomb to anoint his body—but there she discovered that the tomb had been opened and that Jesus’ body was gone.
While Jesus was alive, she had heard him say more than once that he would die and rise again on the third day, but at that moment of grief, all she could focus on was his death and ominous disappearance. She felt sure that his body had been stolen. All of Jesus’ promises, all the beauty of his teaching, meant nothing to her in that moment. All she could see was an empty tomb, and she lost her faith.
On the other hand, when John entered the very same tomb and saw the very same burial cloths that Mary saw, he believed (John 20:8). Something clicked in his memory and in his heart. Unlike Mary, who could see only what was in front of her, John saw beyond the evidence and believed that God has done something. He may not have understood it completely at that point, but still he believed. He held on to the bit of faith he had and sought for it to be deepened. God was moving, and he wanted to see how it would end.
Can we do the same? After all, we weren’t there on the first Christmas Day. Can we truly believe that the Messiah who was born among us has died and is now risen? Can we, like John, wait eagerly but patiently for Jesus to reveal himself to us? When your faith is weak, all you have to do is seek the Lord and tell him that you love him. In his time, Jesus will move you to a deeper faith. He will send the Holy Spirit to embolden you to spread the good news that Almighty God really has come among us. So hold fast to your faith like John. In the end, you’ll find great rewards from Jesus himself! “Jesus, I want to believe in you more fully. Search my heart and where there is any unbelief, fill me with belief.”
Lectio Divina and a deeper insight into the Reading (Scroll down to “Reflection”)
ocarm.org/lectio/annoA_eng/022eng.htm
