Let The Lord Enter

 The men’s Bible study group this morning just happened to reach the Gospel of John, Chapter 6, in our weekly discussions.  That chapter is one of the key foundations of my Catholic faith, but I didn’t bring that point up to the Protestant men.  I’m sure they knew, but our discussions avoid most doctrinal focus.  We meet not to convert one another, but to let God teach us and change our hearts, as He wills.

“Whoever sees the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life.”

The Jews were asking for another miracle, but the Bible Study guys agreed, this morning, that even if that had happened, it likely would not have changed the Jews’ minds or hearts, not to the totally new message Jesus was bringing.  They just could not bring themselves to accept what He was saying.  His message did not have human proofs, it was about accepting that He was God, and accepting God’s message preached through Jesus.  That acceptance is not brought about based on human senses, like the sight Him or of His miracles, but by spiritual acceptance of God’s graces.  God loves us all, but each has to choose to accept the graces of that love, not look for proofs of it.  The Gospel of John talks about believing IN HIM, not the things they see Him do.  Believing in Him is believing He is God, and believing in the things He says, even if they don’t understand them.  “You have the words of eternal life,” as Peter said, even though He didn’t fully understand Jesus’ message either.  He trusted.

At mass later this morning, the morning Responsorial Psalm was “Let the Lord enter; He is the King of Glory.”  Those words are saying we must choose to let Him enter into our hearts.  When Mary said “yes” to the archangel Gabriel, she was agreeing to let the Lord enter, “and she was conceived of the Holy Spirit.”  And her whole life changed.

That is what Jesus was calling the Jews to do, accept His message, and totally change their lives, but they could not let God’s graces into their hearts and accept Jesus’ message because they lacked humility.  Humility is key to accepting God and all that He says.  “We can’t see it; we can’t prove it” is what our human minds think, but it’s not a matter of interpretation with our human minds or senses.  In our very being, we are called to accept His Being.  He is I AM; He is God.

When we were baptized, we began our growth in humility.  In Baptism, it is not the water we see which is cleaning us; it is only a sign, even as Jesus’ miracles were.  Baptism and the words we said then was the start of our acceptance of God.  Made in His image, we started to become as He is in His Being.

Later at mass this morning, we prayed prayers of petition.  Our response to each petition was: “Come, Lord Jesus.”

We need to let Him in.

Mary said “Yes, come Lord Jesus,” and He came into her physical and spiritual being.  And nine months later, at Christmas, Jesus entered our physical world.  Will we celebrate His coming by saying: “Come Lord Jesus, enter into my heart?” Or will we be focused on all the things we see and hear around us?