You Are Irreplaceable
Special readings today with a lot of a heavenly, hidden meaning. The obvious is that first Jesus loves us. We know that. We have experienced the Passion and Resurrection. If this is not love, what is? After all, Jesus did this for you. But did you catch it in the Gospel today. Look again. Jesus is praying for you.
We are so accustomed to praying for what we want we sometimes do not even notice that Jesus is praying for you. And what is His prayer for you? That you may grow in love of the Father as Jesus loves the Father. We forget that Jesus is the ultimate intercessor for us. He stands between you and the Father. Whenever you sin God looks through the nail holes of His Sons hands and God’s mercy grows ever stronger and His forgiveness granted more quickly. Yes, Jesus’ hidden meaning is the love poured out between the Father and Son. The same love Jesus invites you to enter with the Father and the Son.
But Jesus knows we cannot do this alone. He sends the Holy Spirit as another hidden mystery to enter our lives. To teach us the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In our day, right now, I believe we need two gifts. First, courage. We become complacent, inactive. We let the world pass us by. We need the gift of courage to get up and get going. Second, understanding. We do not listen. We form our answer before the other person is done talking. It is too easy to demand my way only. We need to humble ourselves, to accept the wisdom of others. All of this takes fortitude and perseverance. What gifts of the Holy Spirit should you pray for right now?
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen