Why do I follow Jesus?

FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD

28 JUNE 2024   FRIDAY X11

WORD of the DAY 

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it.  Be made clean.”
His leprosy was cleansed immediately. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one,
but go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”                      (Matthew 8: 1-4)

How shall I live this Word?   

Jesus comes down from the mountain. We know that the mountain is one of the special places that He chooses to be in the presence of the Father and to enter into a relationship with Him. These are extremely necessary moments that Jesus chooses to live in solitude with the Father, nourishing His filial relationship do not distance Him from others rather, but allow Him to live in fullness the mission for which He was sent. Coming down from the mountain, many people followed Him. Why does the crowd choose to follow Jesus?

It is a question that today challenges our personal life. Why do I choose to follow Jesus? It is an invitation to take Jesus seriously, to take the Gospel seriously, to take seriously the path taken by Jesus because love makes us similar; love generates imitation! Following Jesus changes my desires, changes my way of behaving, changes my words because following Jesus means adhering to His person. It is not a beautiful idea; it is not only accepting His teaching, but sharing His existence, participating in His choices, loving as He loved. Impossible if He himself does not love us. It is impossible to go after Him unless we let Him dwell in us. Then every Christian will be able to say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20).

Today, I too climb the Mount. I carve out a space of personal silence and renew my choice. I answer with truth to the question: why do I follow Jesus?

Lord, purify my intentions, deliver me from all that prevents me from following You with a pure heart.

The voice of St. Augustine   ‘Confessions’

Too late have I loved You, O Beauty so ancient, O Beauty so new.
Too late have I loved You! You were within me but I was outside myself, and there I sought You!
In my weakness, I ran after the beauty of the things You have made.
You were with me, and I was not with You.
The things You have made kept me from You – the things which would have no being unless they existed in You!
You have called, You have cried, and You have pierced my deafness.
You have radiated forth, You have shined out brightly, and You have dispelled my blindness.
You have sent forth Your fragrance, and I have breathed it in, and I long for You.
I have tasted You, and I hunger and thirst for You.
You have touched me, and I ardently desire Your peace.

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