The simple joy of discipleship is knowing Jesus and learning to let Him be the “Lord” (or master) of our lives. St. John the Baptist put this notion of “discipleship” into words: “I must decrease so that Jesus might increase.” (John 3, 30) The more we can allow Jesus to shine through us, the more we will become who we were created to be, and the more we can see our joy becoming complete.
A few years back Pope Benedict XVI published three books called Jesus of Nazareth. When talking about these books, the Holy Father described them as his “personal search for the Lord.” This is such a beautiful sentiment, isn’t it? St. John the Baptist found Jesus, the one for whom he was waiting, whose sandals he was not worthy to untie. St. John came to know that, in Jesus, his joy was complete and the rest of his life was about decreasing. It was only then that he could announce Jesus to the whole world. In a similar way, Pope Benedict was writing about the journey that each of us must go on – a journey to seek and find the face of God in the person of Jesus.
In our lives, Jesus is not hiding. He is right here! He is with us each time we are at Mass, in Adoration, in Confession, in our personal prayer, in the love we share with family and friends, and in our acts of charity when we are caring for the needy. Jesus is also present to us when we open our Bibles and let His Word penetrate our hearts. He is present to us in the poor, the lonely, and the forgotten. In all of these ways and more, Jesus is yearning to make Himself known to us.
For our weekend reflection: In our encounters with the Lord of our lives, do we find that our joy becomes complete? Do we long for Him to increase in our lives? Will we seek Him today, tomorrow, and every day for the rest of our lives? According to His promise, when we seek Him, we find Him, and in finding Him our joy is complete.
