Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent

March 6, 2007





“Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my cotenant with your mouth, though you hate discipline.”

Psalm 50:16

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Discipline comes from the word “disciple” which means “to learn.” To learn we must listen, think about, absorb and live. When we think about learning from God in prayer, how much time do we spend listening? Is the majority of our prayer about us doing all the talking or about how well we listen? It seems all too common that we do an awful lot of talking in our prayer and not much listening. It is if Jesus cannot get a word in edgewise. This is not good practice for a disciple! In the truth of what St. Peter said, as disciples we say, “Lord, to whom else should we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (See John 6:68)



Jesus has the words of eternal life! You and I do not. Jesus does not need to be changed into us. We need to be changed into Jesus. We become like Jesus by hearing and obeying his word to us. That means in order to truly become his disciples; we must listen to Jesus’ teaching and live according to it so that we might be transformed into him.



Disciples listen to the master and live out his words with all their heart, soul, strength and mind. A way Catholics ritualize the importance of listening to the master happens each mass before the gospel is read. We make the sing of the cross on our foreheads, lips and hearts. We make the sign of the cross on our foreheads and ask that they may be conformed to the mind of Jesus Christ. We make the sign of the cross on our lips so that we may always speak the life-giving words of the saving gospel to all. Finally, we make the sign of the cross on our hearts and pray that Jesus and the will of God will be what is most dear to us in this life.



As a disciple, our foundation rests on how we think. So we pray that we may be transformed by the learning God has for us as we listen to the one who has the words of Eternal Life. As we make the sign of the cross on our forehead, we pray that our mind will be so conformed such that it will be Jesus who will shine through in all our words (sign of the cross on our lips) and actions (sign of the cross on our hearts). But, all we say and do in life depends on how well we listen to what Jesus wants to say and do through us.



What if the world took seriously being a disciple and listened to Jesus. What if we stopped talking and started listening in prayer? So much of our Christianity is about Jesus following us rather than us following Jesus. Jesus following us is not Christianity.



Live the confronted life!

+Fr. John