Jacek Andrzej Rossakiewicz (b.1956)
Jesus Appears to Thomas (St John Passion – 13), 1990
oil on canvas
Do not be afraid when your heart has closed down. Do not worry when your mind races in panic. Do not resist the darkness of confusion. The Lord finds his way through every obstacle to bring you peace.
Be at peace. He is here with you now.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” John 20:26b
Christ
Rembrandt or workshop (1606-1669)
oil on oak, circa 1648-1656
Philadelphia Museum of Art
via Wikimedia Commons
Nothing that happens to us, nothing we do, nothing we feel is a surprise to Jesus. In his humanity, he felt anger at the money changers and sadness at the death of Lazarus. He blamed the fig tree for not producing fruit. He accused God of abandoning him on the cross. He loved us so much he gave his life for us.
Jesus is one of us. He knows us. He knows we are capable of indifference and of compassion. He knows we can be stiff-necked and insist on our own way and he knows we have what it takes to surrender our life and will to God’s care.
Perhaps the only surprise is for us: God trusts us to be fully human and loves us just as we are.
But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well. John 2:24-25
![By Frank S De Hass, [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tabor_1887.jpg)
By Frank S De Hass, [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
It isn’t exactly hope that keeps me following the Lord up this mountain. It’s more an unwillingness—today—to give up. I’m doing my best to make this climb an opportunity to practice patience and compassion and to put my trust in Jesus.
Maybe it is hope. I keep climbing in the hope of being led to a place of transfiguration, a place of perfect peace, acceptance, and wholeness.
Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. Mark 9:2
![Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoi (1837-1887) Le Christ dans le désert, 1872 Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoi [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kramskoi_Christ_dans_le_d%C3%A9sert.jpg)
Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoi (1837-1887)
Le Christ dans le désert, 1872
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Listen deeply. Be empty of pre-conceived notions. Let go of resistance.
Trust the movement of the Spirit.
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan. Mark 1:12
James Tissot (1836-1902)
Guérison des lépreux à Capernaum, between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum
When I feel out of step with the ways of the world, when I feel like an outsider or an interloper or just a plain oddball, I can re-root myself in the presence of Jesus and be made clean.
Clean of arrogance. Clean of isolation. Clean of comparisons. Clean of judgment. Clean of the need to conform. Clean of the fear of speaking my truth.
Being made clean by the Lord gives me the right to take my place—just as I am—in any company, any society, any situation.
A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.” Mark 1:40
Yes, it’s finally looking like January.
And Saturday’s artwork:
Jacob de Wit (1695-1754)
Baptism of Christ in the Jordan
chalk and pen, ca.1716
Amsterdam, Amstelkring Museum
via Wikimedia Commons
We are God’s beloved and God is well pleased with us. The whole human family. All of us. In spite of, perhaps because of our human frailty, failures, and weaknesses. God made us human. We are God’s. We are God’s creation, beloved and pleasing to God.
Lord, teach me to see myself and the all of the human family with your eyes and heart.
And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:11
Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: The Three Wise Men (named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). Detail from: “Mary and Child, surrounded by angels”, mosaic of a Ravennate italian-byzantine workshop, completed within 526 AD by the so-called Master of Sant’Apollinare
By Nina-no (Own work) [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
[The magi] saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Matthew 2:11
Rembrandt (1606-1669)
Simeon in the Temple
oil on panel, 1627-1628
Hamburg, Hamburger Kunsthalle
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38
God’s Holy Family encompasses every human person—from infants to the elderly. We are all equally important in the eyes and heart of God. We all have something to offer to others. No matter what our age, we are all called to open our minds, eyes, and hearts to encounter the Lord every day.
Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553)
Jesús expulsa a los fariseos del Templo, 1521
[Jesus] made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area. John 2:15
I am a little temple that houses God’s Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus and through the gift of the Holy Spirit, I have the power to drive out anything from my temple that obstructs and interferes with my ability to love God, myself, and my neighbor.
What shall I drive out today? Fear? Greed? Self-pity? Arrogance? Indifference? Prejudice?
What shall I invite in? Gratitude? Gentleness? Acceptance? Encouragement? Hospitality? Compassion?
Mary Ann McSweeny 
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