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
Sometimes the way is still dark and I have no clarity. In these moments, I need to keep moving toward the Lord. Some day I will understand.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead. John 20:9
“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” John 12:24
We send messages to others in every moment. Our words, attitudes, gestures, body language, and actions speak our truth in that moment.
God has written the law of love upon our hearts. Compassion, kindness, acceptance, welcoming, encouragement, courtesy, and nonviolence are ways to express what God has written upon our hearts.
Do the messages I send others reflect God’s writing?
But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jeremiah 31:33
Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937)
Nicodemus and Jesus on a Rooftop, 1899
oil on canvas
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
via Wikimedia Commons
God so loves us that he trusts us to be his hands, voice, eyes, ears, heart, and compassion in the world.
In order that we learn how to become more like God, he apprentices us to Jesus. Ours is not academic learning; it is experiential learning where we practice by watching and imitating Jesus.
Heal, eat with sinners, speak out against injustice, serve the poor, pray, love your enemies, lay down your life for others.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” John 3:16
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
“A voice cries out in the wilderness”
Israeli wall around the West Bank
[John] said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,'” as Isaiah the prophet said.” John 1:23
Jesus does not exist apart from human struggles, human injustice, human atrocities. The voices I hear calling from war-torn countries show me where to find Jesus: right in the middle of it all.
How will I respond to the voices calling to me today? How will I make straight the way of the Lord in the midst of human suffering?
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?
![Joža Uprka, 1860-1941 All Souls' Day oil on canvas, 1897 Prague, National Gallery Joža Uprka [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jo%C5%BEa_Uprka_-_All_Souls%27_Day.JPG)
Joža Uprka, 1860-1941
All Souls’ Day
oil on canvas, 1897
Prague, National Gallery
via Wikimedia Commons
I have been on the giving and receiving end of rejection. Either side is a lonely place, a place of woundedness and deep grief.
Jesus, the Compassion of God, heals all wounds through the grace of his unconditional love for all of God’s human family. By his example I am learning it is the better part to accept than reject. I am learning it is the better part to forgive than resent. I am learning it is the better part to keep my eyes on the Lord than my nose in others’ business. I am learning to find my way home.
Diego Velázquez, 1599-1660
Cristo crucifado
oil on canvas
El Prado, Madrid
[Jesus answered Nicodemus,] “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” John 3:16
There is so much to love in our world. There are so many people to love in our world. Just for today, I will make a commitment to love myself and one other person.
Bread Shop in the Street, Old Jerusalem
By Grand Parc – Bordeaux, France, via Wikimedia Commons
[Jesus said,] “Just as the living Father sent me
and I have life because of the Father,
so also the one who feeds on me
will have life because of me.” John 6:57
When I feed on Jesus, the Compassion of God, I intentionally work on transforming my habits of impatience, self-centeredness, resentment, and fear. I intentionally practice following Jesus and his way of peace and non-violence. I intentionally do my best to imitate Jesus and his healing presence.
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