WHOM ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

WHOM ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

 

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” – John 20:15

 

It had been three days since Jesus was crucified shamefully and Mary Magdalene was in deep grief. To add to her distress, His body disappeared from the tomb. She was too busy crying that she failed to recognize the One for whom she was grieving. She thought He was the gardener. She heard Him. She saw Him. And yet she didn’t recognize Him.

Grief, anxiety or any strong emotion has a way of obscuring our vision of God. We are so focused on our feelings that it blinds us from seeing God’s blessing or presence.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us above all else to guard our heart for it affects everything we do.

Oftentimes, when we are upset or angry, we fail to see God’s hand in our situation. When something bad happens, we allow fear, distress or anxiety into our hearts which overwhelms us and clouds our thinking. The next time some adversity arises, remain calm so that you can think clearly and see things in better perspective. In time, the cloud will clear up and then you will realize — my God, You were there all along! Ronna Ledesma (ronnaledesma@email.com)

 

REFLECTION:

When we don’t know where to look for God in our lives, we are often surprised to find Him where we least expected.

 

Lord, let me see You even through the darkness in my life.

 

LIVING THE FULL CHRISTIAN LIFE

 

Sometimes I wonder at our willingness to live only partially empowered by the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel today we hear Jesus say to Mary, “Do not cling to me. I have not yet ascended to my Father.” He is telling Mary that His mission is not yet complete until He returns to the Father and when He, with the Father, will send us the Holy Spirit. If Mary clings to Him now and is not willing to let Hin return to the Father, she will never fully receive the fullness of the benefits of His resurrection.

The same is true for us. We need to examine our hearts and minds and decide whether we are willing to settle for a half-empowered Christian existence or if we want to be fully empowered by the Spirit of God. The choice is ours. However, the cost is not insignificant. To live a life surrendered to the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit requires exactly that — the total surrender of our life to the Spirit of God. This means that we have to decide to let go of our own desires and dreams and leave them in the hands of the Spirit. It means living a life of obedience to the will of God, going where He leads us and doing what He asks us to do. This is not an easy thing to do, but it is the only path to the fullness of life in the Spirit.

We all have weaknesses and we will always struggle in surrendering our lives to God, but this is not an excuse to give up and allow the flesh within to win. We need to take a stand against the desires and craving of the flesh and commit ourselves to lives of discipleship that know no bounds as regards obedience to God’s will. Jesus fought His temptations in the desert at the beginning of His ministry; we will fight temptation every day of our lives. But the Good News is that all temptation has been overcome in the resurrection of Jesus. Let us surrender our lives to Him through the Spirit and we will have the strength to be His disciple. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

What is the greatest desire of my heart? Am I willing to give it up in order to be a disciple of Jesus? Am I going to decide to follow God’s will and not just my own?

 

Holy Spirit, help me to surrender my life more deeply to the will of God and to allow the Holy Spirit to guide and empower me along His path for my life.

 

St. Brychan, pray for us.