[Pearls Episode 138: Monday motivation.]
On Friday we were musing on why Jesus doesn’t just show up in the sky or at our kitchen table, and convert the world.
There are many reasons, but not the least of which, is that it wouldn’t play out as most people would have it were they writing the script. In fact, it would mostly play out the way it did 2,000 years ago – we would be all high-fives and “you go, Big Guy” so long as He was feeding and healing, but as soon as He came around to “pick up Your cross and follow Me,” He’d be run out of town.
Jesus tells us another reason why He doesn’t just come and hang out with us. And it’s a much more daunting reason than the in-person Jesus not being any more convincing than the indwelling Jesus.
Here’s the reason in Jesus’ own words, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)
Now, St. Augustine is quick to clarify that it is Jesus doing the greater works through us, but still, Jesus is handing over a huge part of His mission to … us.
St. Theresa of Avila touches on this same reality with her beautiful statement, “Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world…”
Imagine you invest everything you have – blood, sweat and tears – to build up a hugely successful, billion-dollar company. And then you just pick a bunch of random people off the street and ask them to take over?
No way.
You’d want to train them and test them.
And so we have the Sacraments, the indwelling of the counseling Spirit, the great teaching tradition of the Church and the many times that God allows our faith to be put to the test.
Because until that time comes when Christ does return, it seems He’s counting on us.
Blessings on your journey with Christ –
Steve and Karen Smith
Interior Life
Postscript: A Gem from St. Theresa of Avila
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which He looks Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are His body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.