Do These When You Meet Jesus : Monday 33rd Week Ordinary Time

Breakfast With the Word Monday 33rd Week Ordinary Time of the Year B

 

Luke 18:35-43

 

 

 

The meeting point between the spiritual and the physical happens during prayers. At times of Prayers man communicates with His God.

 

We can meet Jesus at the point of this communication, in the Eucharistic celebration and in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.

 

Many saints have enumerated uncountable favours and merits of a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and hence advise souls who are so serious about their spiritual life to make it their daily activity.

 

When you kneel down at prayer, always know that you are no longer alone. Prayer is not an ordinary activity.

 

So, the story of the beggar today teaches us what to do when we meet or spend time with Jesus at prayer.

 

Show Jesus that you truly need Him

 

As Jesus passes by, the beggar hears the sound of the crowd and asks who is he that is passing by. Immediately they tell him, it is Jesus of Nazareth, He begins to shout on top of His voice. He sees an opportunity for healing, and he shows that truly he is in need of this healing.

 

 

This is like the widow of Luke 18 and the unjust judge. Do not just make prayers as if it is nothing. The way we approach Jesus and keep approaching is a sign that we are truly in need of what we are asking for.

 

When you meet Jesus, do not get tired or weak in His presence. Let Jesus know the depth of your need.

 

 

An Insight

 

A friend narrated to me how she got a favour from someone. He told me that on a normal day, he cannot do what he did but because he was so much in need, He has to.

 

This, my friend, has been desperately looking for a job and he knows that this man has been helping many and can as well help him.

 

He called the man and sent him texts requesting for assistance but the man ignored and didn’t reply back.

One day when he heard that the man came to a village meeting where people gathered. He ran to the meeting and threw himself in his presence.

 

People were puzzled to behold this kind of gesture and wanted to know the reason for such action. They told him to stand up. Even the man couldn’t understand what was going on.

 

Then my friend voiced out in the presence of the people, “sir please I know you can help me, I need a job”.

 

There and then, the man promised Him a job, to work in his company.  I don’t think anyone can go to this extreme today.

 

But in the beggar today, we can see a man who is truly in need. He saw his opportunity and could not let it pass by.

 

 

 

Believe He can do It.

 

When many approach God in prayer, sometimes  they conclude already that He cannot answer their prayer.

 

 

Sometimes because of their past experiences, some of us conclude that God is even hardened at heart.

 

So, because of that, we go to prayer with this attitude “well let me try God in prayer” or “let me see if He can answer me this time around”. Some will say “is it today one has been praying and asking” and many others.

 

 

 

Sometimes we lose faith even before we approach God.

 

But for this beggar to insistently shout and wail shows that he knows Jesus can do what He asks for.

 

Therefore, do we believe that God can do what we ask? Do we lose faith even before we pray?

 

When you meet Jesus, do we show Him that we truly know, believe and accept He can do even the impossible, and faith does not disappoint?

 

Let us always believe that God can do the impossible.

 

Know who is He is that you meet Everyday.

 

If you do not know someone, you will not actually know how the person does.

Among the crowd who is just following Jesus around, it is only a roadside beggar that takes the light of the day.

 

Immediately He asks Who is He that is passing? And they tell Him, Jesus. He did not question if Jesus will listen to Him, because he knows that Jesus cannot but listen to Him.

 

He did not question if Jesus will heal or not, because He knows that Jesus will heal.

The beggar knows that Jesus is so loving and merciful, He simply said: “Lord have mercy on me”.

 

We can as well ask ourselves “who is He that you meet in prayer? When you meet Jesus, do we know He also longs for you? Who is He that is in the chapel?

 

Who is He that we encounter at the mass every day? If we truly understand who He is, we will always long for Him.

 

Appeal to His Mercy

 

Have you taken time to find out in the bible that all who ask for mercy are granted their requests?  Examples are David (Psalm 51), the repentant thief (Luke 23:41-43), the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:22) etc.

 

That simple prayer “Lord have pity on me” carries a lot of power. It appeals directly to the merciful heart of Jesus who cannot but have mercy.

 

When you meet Jesus, appeal to His mercy.

The time of prayers is not the time to tell Jesus how good and powerful we are.

 

This is not a time to tell Him how many times we do pray and sing and the list of offerings we have given as if we are sending Him on an errand.

 

 

At times, when something happens to us we become angry because we remember how devoted, charitable and prayerful we have been.

 

In God’s presence, we do not appeal to our merits like the Pharisees in Luke 18:9-14 but like the tax collector seeking for mercy.

 

Do not give Negative Voices any Opportunity

 

In His presence, do not give negative voices any opportunity. When the beggar was shouting to attract the attention of the Lord, the crowd shouted him down.

 

Some people may be saying “who is this man to call Jesus kwanu?” Others may say “friend stop shouting, you are disturbing us”.

 

Some of them may even bash on Him “My friend close your mouth there” etc. But in all these, he keeps shouting until Jesus heard him. But the more they shout him down, the more he keeps shouting.

 

In life, the more challenges, people and circumstances try to pull you down, should be the more, you need to prove to the challenges, people and circumstances that they do not have such power over you.

 

 

Do not allow anything to put your faith down. The more the challenges, is the stronger our faith should be.

 

Sometimes when you meet Jesus, some voices will be telling you, “He cannot hear you”, “Are you sure this will happen?”,” “will He still hear me after all I did” etc. Like the beggar, do not allow any negative voice to put you down. Have strong faith.

 

 

 

Therefore, when you meet Jesus, know who is He that you meet, appeal to His mercy, show that you are truly in need of Him, believe He can do it and do not give an opportunity to any negative voice.

 

 

 

 

May God bless you dearest and give us the grace to remain strong in the Lord. Amen