16 April 2013 - open door policy

16 April 2013 - open door policy

So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 

But we are stubborn.  We like to imagine ourselves as religious people without actually being transformed.


You received the law as transmitted by angels,
but you did not observe it.”

We do have a law transmitted by angels, but not so that we might be prideful or have an attitude of superiority.  We are reluctant to recognize Jesus in our self satisfaction with our current degree of religious practice.  We think that because we do and believe certain things we are all set.  And these things are often good.  But they are not God.  We must always be ready to look to him.  We must be ready to see when he is calling us onward to something new.

“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?

Jesus is willing to meet us at this point.  He is willing to offer all he has: himself.  He does so in a way that transcends all that we know so far.  To imply otherwise would mean we have already attained the beatific vision.  That is why "eye has not seen and ear has not heard" (cf 1 Cor 2:9).  It is so far beyond the things with which we satisfy ourselves and yet so humble that it can be hard to accept.  This is the bread that the Father gives.  Let us not be so focused on ourselves that we don't recognize it.

We need to pray: “Sir, give us this bread always.” 

He will certainly answer.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger,

and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

If we are willing to let Jesus move us from the good we know to the vision of God himself we will be empowered to see God just as St. Stephen did.

“Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

He is seeing what the psalmist prays to see.

Let your face shine upon your servant;

save me in your kindness.

This is the vision that is meant to be our eternity.  And it begins now if we will just surrender.  The final journey from this life to the next will be a seamless transition where we have the courage to truly pray:

Into your hands I commend my spirit;

you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.