Photo by Josh Calabrese on Unsplash
God is not always practical. His plans are not always pragmatic. Sometimes, perhaps often, God’s plans are incredible, that is, difficult to believe. We are called to love enemies and persecutors. We are called to help the poor, the refugee, the migrant. It is in giving that we receive.
What Caiaphas proposes in the gospel is tremendously practical. If Jesus threatens the existence of the entire Jewish state, then he should be killed. Fair enough. Better that one man dies than the whole nation is destroyed. Seems practical.
But God is not practical. Rather, he loves us even though we sin, he offers us mercy over and over again when we ask, to the point where it is easy to see his love for us as something beyond our comprehension. Jesus prays to the Father to forgive us, from the cross. He is attentive to the care of his mother, and forgives a thief, assuring him of paradise. None of this is practical. It is all a total outpouring of love to you and to me. And it is not practical.
I’ve heard it said that if the miracles Jesus did were done today, everyone would believe. I am not so sure of that. When Jesus’ heals, it is faith that saves. The people in Jesus day, even those who witnessed these miracles, did not all convert or believe.
And the truth is that miracles are being done today. Leaving aside unbelievable medical events, there is the miracle of the outpouring of God’s love. There is the miracle of Jesus present in the Eucharist. There is the miracle of forgiveness. There is the miracle that you and I are loved beyond any ability of ours to understand it.
Eternal life is beyond practical. When we accept Jesus into our hearts, when we believe in him, when we trust him, the unbelievable is open to us. Don’t be practical. Open your heart to the unbelievable love of Jesus and see how your life is changed.
Let us pray.
Dear Jesus, your love for each one of us is beyond comprehension. We know that you died for our sins, moved by your great love for us, even though we did not deserve it. Help us during these days to open our hearts more and more to you, so that we can feel deep within us the power of your love. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Music: Cheezy Piano Medley by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4833-cheezy-piano-medley
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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