When I think about how Christ came to his own people and was rejected by them, I feel a deep gratitude and a renewed desire to follow Him more closely. I realize that faith is not agreeing with a set of beliefs or rules. Faith is a recognition and an opening to the presence of Christ in my life, here and now. He is the event that changes everything, that gives meaning and value to my existence, that makes me free and happy.
If I open myself to his presence, I let Him work in me and through me, to transform me into his image and likeness, to make me a witness of his love and mercy in the world. I don’t want to make the same mistake as Adam and Eve, who used their freedom to try to escape the loving presence of the Lord. They were like small children who hide by putting their hands in front of their faces, thinking that they can avoid being seen. They didn’t understand that God’s presence was not a threat, but a gift, a source of life and joy.
A Rejection of Life
Christ’s sorrow is that we don’t want to go to Him to have life. He wept over Jerusalem, not because it was going to be destroyed, but because it denied life. He wept because it didn’t welcome the gift of faith, the encounter with Him who is the way, the truth, and the life. Jerusalem didn’t accept faith as some people did: Mary, his mother, who said “yes” to the angel; Peter, who confessed Him as the Messiah; John, who leaned on his chest; Mary Magdalene, who recognized Him at the tomb; Thomas, who touched his wounds; Paul, who was converted on the road to Damascus.
These are some of the examples that show us what faith means: an encounter with a person who loves us and calls us by name, who invites us to follow Him and share in his mission, who makes us part of a community of brothers and sisters who support each other in the journey of life.
This is what I want for myself and for you: to live in the presence of Christ, to be open to his grace, to be faithful to his word, to be witnesses of his love. This is what my life gains now from this memory.
Will We Also Reject Life?
As I reflect on the words of Jesus in Luke 18:8, “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”, I am struck by the urgency and challenge of this question. It is not a question about the end of the world as a cosmic catastrophe, but about the end of the world as my personal encounter with Christ. Will he find faith in me when he comes? Will I welcome Him or reject Him? Will I recognize Him or ignore Him?
I pray for that healing. Not physical, but for us to go to the lord not with resignation, but with joy! Dying and going towards the lord full of faith is the greatest grace!!! Not hiding as Adam and Eve did. How can I live and die with this joy and faith? How can I face the powerlessness and uncertainty of life without losing hope?
I say again that faith is not a vague feeling or a set of doctrines, but a relationship with a person who loves me and calls me to follow Him. Faith is begging insistence in asking. Christ waits for our waiting. Will Christ find asking, begging, and praying? Faith is a dialogue with Christ, a constant prayer that expresses our need for Him and our trust in his mercy. Faith is also a witness to his presence in the world, a sign of contradiction that challenges the indifference and despair of our time.
Accepting Life as a Beggar
To grow in faith, I need to be poor in spirit, to acknowledge my poverty and my dependence on God. It is the poor one who asks. The poor one who begs. We must recognize our poverty. Our lacking. Only by being poor can I receive everything as a gift, as grace. Only by being poor can I be open to the surprises of God, who often speaks to me through unexpected events and persons.
One example of this poverty and openness is the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8, which precedes Jesus’ question about faith. The widow does not give up on asking for justice from an unjust judge, who finally grants her request out of annoyance. Jesus says that God will not delay in answering those who cry out to Him day and night. He invites us to imitate the widow’s perseverance and confidence in prayer.
This parable inspires me to pray always without becoming weary. Everything in faith is asked for – everything given in faith is grace. I want to ask God for everything: for his will to be done in my life, for his kingdom to come on earth, for his forgiveness for my sins, for his daily bread for my needs, and for his protection from evil. I want to ask Him especially for the grace to die full of faith, so that when he comes, he may find me ready to embrace Him with joy.
Conclusion
I write to reflect and to think. I do not claim to have all of the answers. That is why I write, to learn with you. I want to hear how you accept life in faith. I do not claim to have the answer, but I think the first step to accepting life is encountering Christ. It is seeing Him in the daily events of our life. Taking time and space to reflect on what Christ is doing in us and through us.
How about you? How has the acceptance of faith blessed you? Where do you see Christ’s presence in your life? Share your thoughts below or tweet me at @PaulWagle. Thank you for reading!