Fr Antonio Pineda
n the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus tells us that he will never leave us orphans. And it’s true. Jesus is always with us, in so many ways.
He is with us in our hearts, through the gift of the Holy Spirit that he poured into us at confirmation. He is with us in the Eucharist, 24/7, whenever we need him. He is with us in the Bible, the revealed Word of God that will always nourish our souls if we read it with faith. He is with us in the Church, through his priests and the sacraments.
Yes, Jesus is truly with us. He has not left us orphans. But there is a chance that we have made ourselves into orphans. Maybe we profess to be Christians, but do we love Christ enough to follow his commandments as he tells us to? Are you “ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have” as St Peter writes in the Second Reading?
If not, maybe that’s why we feel gnawing frustration or loneliness deep in our souls.
Today, Jesus is giving us another chance, a new invitation to let him take up residence on the throne of our hearts, to — as St Peter puts it in the Second Reading — “reverence the Lord Christ in your hearts.”
There can only be one King in our hearts. Either ourselves, with our ignorance, weakness, and limitations, or Christ, with his infinite wisdom, power, and goodness.
Today, let us put our trust in his promise by promising to accept his will, even when it hurts; to follow his teaching, even when it is inconvenient and unpopular; to take up our crosses with Christ, following him all the way through the Crucifixion to the Resurrection.
That’s what the Apostles did, and they had no regrets.