In John’s
gospel, we read about two disciples of John the Baptist who began to follow
after Jesus. Jesus asked them, "What
are you looking for?" (John 1:35-42). As He asked me that question in my reflection
today, I went back to my old Baltimore catechism; “to know God, to love Him,
and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.” And that brought me to the question, "What
is Jesus looking for?" Throughout
the New Testament we find the answer. Jesus
is looking for faith.
He couldn’t
work many miracles in Nazareth because of the people’s lack of faith (Matthew
13:58). He criticized His apostles in
the rocking boat, "Why are you terrified, oh you of
little faith." (Matthew 8:26). He chided Peter who for a brief moment walked
on water, then doubted. "Oh you of little faith. Why did you waver?" (Matthew14:31).
On the other
hand, Jesus cured the sick daughter of the Canaanite woman, telling her, "You
have great faith. Your wish will come to
pass." (Matthew
15:28). Jesus praised the woman who
washed His feet and dried them with her hair, telling her, "Your
faith has been your salvation." (Luke 7:50). Jesus
cured the Centurion’s son, saying, "I have never found
this much faith in Israel" (Matthew 8:10).
In the book
of Hebrews we learn, "The just man will live by
faith." Further it says, "We
are… among those who have faith and live."
(Hebrews 10:32-39). The faith
Jesus is looking for is more than mere intellectual consent. It’s more than verbal agreement. It’s a passionate faith, a faith that floods
our hearts, grips our souls, and reaches into the very core of our being. This is the faith that began as a mere
mustard seed when the apostles first started to follow Jesus (Mark 4:26-34),
but it grew into a faith so strong that it blossomed into martyrdom and
sainthood. This is the faith that will
see us through tough times, even enduring "a great
contest of suffering," knowing we have "better and more permanent
possessions," (Hebrews)
the love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We all plant
seeds. Every moment. We never know how something we say or do will
affect someone. The words coming out of
our mouths can either hurt or heal. The
actions we take and the steps we make can leave such a wonderful impression –
or a poor one. Things we say and do have
the potential to do great good, or great damage. And in turn, like plants that go to seed, the
effects of what we do can spread far and wide, becoming food for so many. It’s an amazing and scary thing to think…
Isn’t this
the growing of the Kingdom of God in our world today? Are these not all seeds we plant on behalf of
God?
What has
blossomed in you as a result of seeds someone planted?
What seeds
have you planted?
What seeds
do you wish you had never planted?
Dear God,
Thank you for the gift of life growing in us and all around us.
Grant us the grace to carefully plant good seed of your most amazing
love
in everything we do.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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