Father Jorge Miró shares with Exaudi readers his commentary on today’s Gospel, Sunday, January 21, 2024, titled “They saw where he lived and they stayed with him”
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During Ordinary Time, this year, the Church proposes to us the continuous reading of the Gospel of Saint Mark, in which we will listen, Sunday after Sunday, to the preaching of Jesus. And, to prepare your heart well, so that it is good soil, capable of receiving the seed of the Word, it is necessary to live some fundamental attitudes.
Therefore, last Sunday, the Word of God reminded us that Jesus Christ is not just another character in the history of humanity, but that He is the true God who has come to save us: the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and, therefore, he invited you to listen carefully to the Word of God and to live not with the lifestyle of the world, but with that of Christ.
Today, the Word of God tells us about some necessary attitudes to be able to profitably welcome the preaching of Jesus: conversion, following Christ, and discovering that our goal is eternal life.
Having a spirit of conversion means believing that Jesus Christ is the only Teacher and the only Lord. It means living every day with the desire and hope to be better, to grow, to mature, to change those attitudes in our lives that are not in accordance with the will of God.
Having a spirit of conversion means not simply following the desires of your heart, wounded by original sin, nor following the fashions or lifestyle of the world, but focusing solely on Jesus Christ. It means asking the Lord every day to give you a new heart, more and more similar to his.
To convert is to fully accept the will of God, to trust in Him, not seeking human security.
Conversion leads to total following of the Lord. Following Jesus Christ means realizing that having faith is not just having four ideas in your head. To have faith is to be in love with Jesus Christ, it is to live a life of friendship and union with Him. It is to follow in His footsteps, to travel the path that He has marked out for us. It is not settling for a passive fulfillment of the commandments, but trying to live each day more united to Him, more full of Him.
Discovering that the goal is eternal life is to relativize the things of this world, and try to put your heart in God, and always live from God. It is discovering that the most important “business” you have is salvation, and that, before God, the only thing that will count is your fidelity to his teaching, to his lifestyle, and being rich in works of mercy. .
He who, in the midst of his weakness – and therefore lives everything with humility and gratitude – has these attitudes, has the soil of his heart prepared to receive the seed of the preaching of Jesus, has a heart well-disposed to welcome the Word and bear abundant fruit in your daily life.
How is your heart? Are you ready to follow Jesus? The Lord calls you, do you dare to follow him?
Come Holy Spirit!
