“The great tragedy of history is that Jesus is not known, and therefore is not loved, not followed.” (Saint Pope John Paul II).
Have you ever stopped to think about what it would have been like to be born BEFORE Christ? Imagine a world where there was not infinitely kind or good God. In that world there were religions with many gods and goddesses, and these deities were jealous of humans and flawed. They toyed with human beings and pretty much nothing could be done to appease them. And yet – there was God – quietly waiting for the right moment to appear on Earth. And when did He appear? Was it in the age of social media, when we record everything, and we could have seen Him and all He did across the globe in real time? Was it at a time when people could travel in cars and boats and trains and aeroplanes to get to Him from around the world? Or was it just at a time when people needed donkeys to travel around and walked mostly on their feet. There were no photographs or video recordings. No internet and no television or radio.
And when people met Him and saw Him – their God, who they had been waiting for for so long – they immediately said, “Some of the people of Jerusalem said, ‘Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? Yet we know where this man comes from; and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.’ So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, ‘You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord; he who sent me is true, and him you do not know. I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.’” (John 7:1-2,10,25-30).
But truly they did not know Him because not only is God unknowable, but He is unknowable in any way shape or form until at least He choses to reveal Himself to us.
My whole life I was a practicing Catholic. I received the sacraments and attended Holy Mass, but I did not know God – not even a little bit. I did not feel God within my heart until the day when He came into my heart – in the form of the Holy Spirit – and inspired me to understand some infinitely tiny element of His love. And since then I have felt the love of God within me…
Pope Saint John Paul II said, “Many people do not know or do not want to know who Jesus Christ is, and they remain perplexed and disconcerted... The great tragedy of history is that Jesus is not known, and therefore is not loved, not followed. You know Christ! You know who He is! Yours is a great privilege! Always be worthy and aware of it!”
And it is a privilege for which I give thanks to God today!
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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