Lk 12:8-12 Acknowledging JesusJesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.”
This summer, I spent a lot of time with friends and parishioners talking about my trip to Hawaii. I had plenty to talk about! Does the Lord not provide numerous opportunities in a day for us to talk about him – to acknowledge him as our Lord and Savior? What a blessing it is to do something for Christ’s sake and not necessarily for my own. What a blessing and privilege it is to do something special for another and, at times, to do it anonymously.
Scientists work very hard in understanding the in’s and out’s of other species. When they discover something new and interesting, they publish their findings. They are like little kids that after playing outside all day long, they run inside to show their mother or father what they have seen, heard or captured! They marvel at what all these aliens can do: how they fly or run or hide; how they can burrow and build; how they can communicate with one another.
We love pets! We love how they cuddle up to us and how they can look at us as if they knew perfectly well what was going on in our minds! We love all God’s creatures.
But do I love the Son of Man? Do I take the time to search and seek Him? To understand His language? To worship and adore Him? To serve Him?
Do I retell the story of my conversion? Of how I came to believe in Jesus Christ? Do I imitate the Lord in my thoughts, words and actions? Do I do something amazing and wonderful and then surprise them all by saying, “Tell no one” (Mk 7:36)? It cannot be about me! It has to be about Him! And if it is about Him, eventually it will become known about me!
Oh, how the Lord is dying to be loved by us! If the Lord would reappear in our life time, he might very well reappear as another specie like a baby seal or a dog or cat, for it appears as though we have more patience, more love, more time and more affection for baby seals and dogs and cats than we do for the Lord of life and history! But he will not! He will not bow down to our pressure or culture! Instead, he will return as a man with very little; a man hardly noticeable; a man without a place to rest his weary head.
It is sad that our scientists appear more than willing to spend hours examining the DNA of an insect but not the Word of God, or acknowledge the marvels of life but not the Giver of Life! I guess the Lord could make himself more attractive, more interesting under a microscopic slide or telescope, but he refuses to! He will not allow himself to be experimented upon. Rather, he wishes that we do what we can do best: love what is before us.
“Everyone who acknowledges me before others will be acknowledged before the angels of God.” How simple it is to be amazed at people and things. We marvel at how a dog can sit or play dead at our command. We smile at how a baby can smile back at us. Oh how I should marvel and smile at all the Lord has done for me! After all, where would I be if it were not for him?
One way to acknowledge Jesus is to acknowledge who I have been, what I have done and what I have failed to do. I know that if I don’t go to Church every Sunday, I will begin to get upset more often and hold onto grudges tighter. It will be more difficult for me to keep a positive attitude and a faithful heart. But I also know that if I pray often I will experience God’s power – the power of forgiveness! Talk shows love to bring on stage those who have lived their lives upside down (causing havoc and mayhem for themselves and for others) and have turned them right side up. The Lord would love that we shared with others the same exact thing. We reveal who we really are when we go through tough times. God willing, when you reveal who you are, you reveal Jesus Christ.
