Vol. 4, No. 3, July, 1999
Letting Jesus Be Lord!by Sr. Brigid Meierotto, S.N.C.
This is the eleventh in a series of articles entitled: "You Are Invited to a Profound Interior Renewal"
In the spring issue of MY WITNESSES, we reflected upon the importance of our having that faith that expects Jesus to be there for us in our daily lives. Expecting Jesus to act frees us to take the necessary risks to step out in faith. For example, the call from the Lord and from our pastors to tithe to the parish requires us to have expectant faith if we are going to be able to answer "yes" in gratitude and trust to God. As we act in faith we begin to see how the Spirit is working in the circumstances of our lives, and we are brought to acknowledge that Jesus is truly Lord.
Does hope have anything to do with letting Jesus be Lord of my life? Yes. In this issue we will begin to consider how our hope in the Lord is really and act of submission to Jesus as Lord of our lives.
Where does hope come from? How is hope possible for us? Is hope a necessary part of our existence or is it a nice extra that only a privileged few enjoy? These are important questions, religious questions, that have to do with the very nature of our existence as human beings.
In the book of Wisdom we read about one who has no hope: "His heart is ashes, his hope is cheaper than dirt, and his life is of less worth than clay, because he failed to know the one who formed him and inspired him with an active soul and breathed into him a living spirit" (Wisdom 15:10-11).
Why is this person's hope of no use, cheaper than dirt? Because he/she does not know the source of all life, does not know the Creator. "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them;" (Genesis 1:27).
Think for a moment of your life. Has there been a time when you experienced no sense of hope within yourself? Perhaps you are in such a state of no hope right now. Why? What is the cause of your not having hope?
I would guess that some of your answers might be like the following: my husband lost his job; my son is on drugs; I can't talk to my wife; I'm caught in this terrible situation at work; I'm just no good; I can't do anything right.
Are these the real reasons for your not having hope? They cannot be. If they were, then every person with a similar problem would be without hope, and this is not the case.
When we find ourselves without hope, it is because we have forgotten the One who is able to fulfill our hope. We have forgotten who our Creator is, that He created us because He loves us. We are failing to live out the faith that proclaims Jesus is Lord.
"For thou lovest all things that exist, and hast loathing for none of the things which thou hast made, for thou wouldst not have made anything if thou hadst hated it. How would anything have endured if thou hadst not willed it? Or how would anything not called forth by thee have been preserved? Thou sparest all things, for they are thine, O Lord who lovest the living. For thy immortal spirit is in all things" (Wisdom 11:24-12:1).
For me to have hope in the Lord in the midst of overwhelming difficulties is an act of proclaiming and living out the Good News that Jesus is Lord! So often I suffer the temptation of putting my hope somewhere else; either in my own ability to work things out, or in the strength of others, or in things. If I am not alert to the temptation then I end up with a false hope which will fail me. In the end who will I likely blame for the small or large tragedy in my life? Not myself, not others, not things - but God. Is it God's fault that I put my hope and trust in the wrong place? Hardly.
Let us go forward, putting our hope in our God who loves us personally and whose will is fullness of life and happiness for each of us. "Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God" (Psalms 146:5).
MEETING THE LORD JESUS
The following reflections are intended to bring this article alive for you as a valuable tool for your interior renewal:
First: Reread the article. Reflect on the scripture texts. Ponder upon where you are in relation to hope.
Second: Prepare yourself for prayer. Stand before the Father, realizing that He looks upon you and loves you. Pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary.
Pray: "Most loving Father, in the name of Jesus our Lord, I pray you to fill me with your Holy Spirit that my imagination, my memory, my thoughts, the intentions of my will, my whole person be for your praise."
Third: Take your Bible or this article and slowly read
Wisdom 11:24-12:1
picturing yourself as the recipient of the creative love of the Lord.
Fourth: Now choose your answers to the following reflections:
- I forget that the Father is my Creator when:
a) everything is going fine
b) I am anxious and nervous about something
c) I am angry about a real or imagined injustice
d) other ____________________________ - I know that God loves me:
a) when I do what He asks me to do
b) because I see the way He works in my life
c) because He created me in His image
d) other ____________________________ - I place my hope in God because:
a) I know He loves me
b) I feel his presence
c) he alone has the power to give me life
d) other ____________________________
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