What Do You Want?
This week John recognizes the messiah and points his disciples towards Jesus “Look, there is the Lamb of God”. Jesus asks the disciples, “What do you want?” (Jn 1:35-42)
Just imagine Jesus standing there right in front of you and asking you the same question “what do you want?’ How often have you asked yourself this question? What would you ask for? Wealth, power, success? We know that these things don’t last. Life is not always smooth sailing and it has a way of tossing us like a stormy sea from wealth to poverty, success to failure or power to subordination.
What do you want?
In his recent essay in NY Times (26/11/20) Pope Francis wrote that “These are moments in life that can be ripe for change and conversion. Each of us has had our own “stoppage,” or if we haven’t yet, we will someday: illness, the failure of a marriage or a business, some great disappointment or betrayal. As in the Covid-19 lockdown, those moments generate a tension, a crisis that reveals what is in our hearts.”
Nothing lasts forever- everything is passing (Ecc 3:1-8). What then do we ask Jesus for? Soloman asked God for wisdom (1 Kings 3:5) while Bartimaeus asked for sight (Mark 10:51) and the disciples to know Jesus (Jn1:38).
Yes we can ask God for anything we need – good health, safety, children, jobs, success in exams, to help us make a U-turn of our lives- anything. Since life is full of uncertainties – we may want to consider asking Jesus for faith, hope and love to see us through in good and bad times. “Three things will last forever: faith, hope, and love-and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). – SR
Faith lifts the soul.
St Elizabeth Ann Seton
Hope supports it.
Experience says it must.
And love says let it be.