There is a lesson in the hidden years of Jesus’ life. His neighbors knew Him, saw Him everyday, spoke to Him, laughed with Him, ate with Him. But they did not “know” Him; or, rather, they knew Him, but did not know that they knew Him. Even during His ministry, He could walk down the street and most people who not have a clue as to who He was.
Sometimes — often times maybe — Jesus is right next to us or walking by us or speaking to us. The problem is that we don’t realize it.
I struggled for years trying to determine exactly what the “Theology of the Body” was, never really getting my finger on it, and then I suddenly discovered that I knew what it was all along, only I didn’t know that I knew it. I simply had never made the connection between a certain set of teachings and the name “Theology of the Body.”
Sometimes we do know Jesus, He is right there talking to us, but we don’t realize that it is He to whom we are speaking, we do not know that it is He who has healed our blindness. (Jn 9:35-38)
At the same time, sometimes there are people who have never heard the name “Jesus” who know Him intimately — they know Him in their hearts, even if they do not know Him in their heads.
And this knowing of Jesus in our hearts is crucial, especially since He said that there will be people coming up to Him crying, “Lord, Lord,” and He will send them away saying, “I never knew you.” (Mt 7:21-23)
Of course, the better way is to know Him both in our hearts and explicitly in our heads, to know Him fully in the entirety of our being, body and soul; to not only live life, but to know Life, to join with Him who is eternal food as He spends 40 days in the desert, and to truly be able to know Him on our lips, both in prayer with Him and in witness to others.
.
Sometimes — often times maybe — Jesus is right next to us or walking by us or speaking to us. The problem is that we don’t realize it.
I struggled for years trying to determine exactly what the “Theology of the Body” was, never really getting my finger on it, and then I suddenly discovered that I knew what it was all along, only I didn’t know that I knew it. I simply had never made the connection between a certain set of teachings and the name “Theology of the Body.”
Sometimes we do know Jesus, He is right there talking to us, but we don’t realize that it is He to whom we are speaking, we do not know that it is He who has healed our blindness. (Jn 9:35-38)
At the same time, sometimes there are people who have never heard the name “Jesus” who know Him intimately — they know Him in their hearts, even if they do not know Him in their heads.
And this knowing of Jesus in our hearts is crucial, especially since He said that there will be people coming up to Him crying, “Lord, Lord,” and He will send them away saying, “I never knew you.” (Mt 7:21-23)
Of course, the better way is to know Him both in our hearts and explicitly in our heads, to know Him fully in the entirety of our being, body and soul; to not only live life, but to know Life, to join with Him who is eternal food as He spends 40 days in the desert, and to truly be able to know Him on our lips, both in prayer with Him and in witness to others.
.
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