No prophet is accepted in his own native place. (Luke 4:24-30)
In the lives of any person of commitment to specific values, there will be moments when that commitment will demand absolute trust. This is what happened to Jesus in the Lucan story cited above. Jesus was preaching in his own temple. He ruffled the feathers of those who were snuggly fitted into their own protective nests. They turned on him and wanted to stone him. What a price for commitment.
During the years that I worked closely to Pope John Paul II, there were times when he made decisions that would have earned him the "most unpopular" award from the world. However, he marched forward. Throughout his entire life there were moments when he had to stand against emotional, physical, theological and philosophical tsunamis! He stood tall and alone ... like the pictured tree above.
What was it that enable this man from Poland to be so strong? How was he able to withstand the threats of the Communists, the challenges of his state government and at times the minds of eminent theologians? The answer to these questions is simple.
He trusted in God.
Our experience of life is no different. And why should we think it should be different? A genuine follower of Jesus Christ will be called to trust in the Father rather than the promises of a materialistic world. How often are faithful Christians asked to endure cynical charges of "closed mindedness"? When speaking out for moral and ethical values based upon the gospel way of life, is it unheard of that ridicule will be thrown down on the pathway of justice? Let it be said again: Being a true follower of Jesus Christ in our world is a most challenging way of life.
Yet the rewards are real. Banking on Jesus Christ and his teachings will make an individual among the richest people in the world. What? Read that again!! Yes, because those who follow the Lord Jesus will be given the kingdom of heaven! Can a world of injustice, hatred, belittling others and on and on, can such a world promise you a heavenly kingdom? Can it promise anything beyond that next minute? Hardly.
In your prayer today, open your heart to the Lord Jesus and listen to him speaking to you. Pray for the grace to be strong, to be trusting in God because it requires of you a strong commitment to what is truly challenging. To be a follower of Jesus, to be the tree that stands alone against any storm will demand "all my liberty, my mind, my memory and my will." Words from the Jesuit "theme hymn." Only thy love, thy grace on me bestow, possessing these, all riches I forego."
http://www.freefoto.com/ image above.
