In today’s world, very few people would say “No” to the offer of power. If a person has power, he can use that power to obtain most other things in life. The question for us in today’s Gospel is, “Is this the sort of power that Jesus has,? Or is it something different?”
Power to Serve Others, Not Self
If we examine the life of Jesus, we will discover that He never uses His power to achieve His own ends but to help others or for the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is not interested in power for what it can give Him. This is what marks a person who lives for the world to come rather than for the pleasures of this world. Are our dreams and yearnings directed for this world or the next? If we answer this question honestly, we will be more than halfway towards a life of true holiness. We will know where we stand and what we have to do to direct our lives to the right path.
Life Insurance
We live in a world that pays little or no attention to the prospect of eternal life. Even the so-called ‘life insurance’ that many people take out does not speak of any sort of hope in the life to come. It is directed solely towards our earthly lives. But the most powerful life insurance that anyone can take out is that of faith in Jesus Christ and it has no monthly premium. Faith sets us up for eternity, not just giving monetary aid to those we leave behind.
Take the Call of Faith
Jesus’ power and authority come from the fact that He knows where His life is directed, which is obedience to the Father’s will, and all He has to do is to live it out faithfully here on Earth. And so it is with us. Through faith, we will gain authority and power over our own lives, making us an example for others. Are we ready to take up the call of faith and live according to God’s will or do we prefer to mess around with false gods and powers that the world offers to us today?
Conversion of heart to Jesus is the foundation or corner stone of a faith-filled life. It will mean giving up the world and its earthly attractions, but it opens for us the world of eternal life.
Jesus, grant me the grace to open my life to the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about conversion. Help me to surrender to Your call and not the call of the world. Amen.
