Aug 8 Fri
Can Jesus visit me?
Two sisters, Martha and Mary, with their brother Lazarus, all close to Jesus, invited Him into their home. There, they made him a supper. While Martha served, Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed Jesus' feet, wiping them with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment (John 12:2-3).
Magdalene had met evil face to face, like many among us. Her sins controlled her life as the demons took greater control over her. Desperate for help, she turned to Jesus. Falling at his feet pleading for freedom, Jesus declared, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:48) From that moment on, Magdalene became a disciple.
Such an account cannot be trivialized, reduced to sins of the flesh. St. Gregory says that the seven demons are the universal and deadly sins of pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. We all may have a bit of these bad tendencies.
In an instant, with a simple confession, Jesus freed her from that covenant, removed all her sins, and invited her to follow Him. A dramatic change took place. She became an apostle to the Apostles, filled with His Spirit, for she knew the struggle of sin and the power of Jesus.
Because of her experience with evil, Magdalene focused solely on Jesus. When He came to visit, she concentrated only on His presence. She, a sinner, became a saint. Can this happen to us, too?
When the Lord “visits” us, one thing is essential: Jesus. He comes to us, not as a guest, but as the Host. He takes us out of our comforts, breaking us free from our sins. He, too, wants to strip us of our fears, worries, and despair and give us courage to fight vices, hope to continue fighting, and peace to enjoy. Yet, Jesus cannot do this if we do not stop, listen, and learn from Him constantly.
Jesus is indispensable. He is the quintessence of life. Without Him, our lives are in rags. Running around taking care of so many business concerns, our souls starve. Like empty vessels, we are void and never take the time to fill ourselves up with the Divine Presence.
To break out of our disordered thinking, Jesus comes into our lives. By making us wait, trying our patience, allowing things to break down, health issues to arise, financial concerns to worry us, plans to fail, and a host of other disruptions all designed to make us stop, think, listen, and ask: What am I supposed to learn from this?
Now it’s my turn to get my priorities right. Do I accept the divine invitation of my host, Jesus, who comes to my home to make His dwelling with me? Or do I overlook His invitation and busy myself with other concerns, and miss my Divine Visitation? Do I pray? Do I receive Him in Holy Communion?
Pic: Ethiopian Annunciation.