13 March

All of us have to make decisions.  Sometimes it is far from easy.  We go through a time of real struggle, sometimes feeling resentful about the process.  Sometimes we may feel depressed by the complex choices before us, and sometimes we feel that we want to run away from the whole thing.

It may well be that Jesus experienced moments like that.  One certainly faced him when he went into the wilderness after his baptism.  Maybe the word wilderness is a good way of describing how we feel when we face making really important choices in our lives.  All signposts seem to be missing; we don’t know which way to turn.  There may be unknown dangers if we choose one way rather than the other.   One thing quite certain is that no choice ever provides the perfect answer.  Jesus knew thoughts like that as well.  He had heard the call of God to public ministry, and had gone to accept baptism from John in the Jordan.  Then he faced the difficult task of deciding how he was going to pursue the vision of God’s kingdom which had been given.

Jesus tells us that the devil offered him at least three ways of building the kingdom.  The first was to bribe people into following him.  The second way was to impress them.  The third was by reaching for power.  Jesus says a resounding “No,” because he saw clearly that the devil was appealing to self-image and ego and the human desire for position and power.  To build a ministry on what appealed either to his own ego or to the desires of those who followed him would be a betrayal of himself, of his followers, and of God.  So Jesus made another choice.  He calls people to come to him and with him, not for what they can get, but for what they can give of themselves to him, to one another, and to the world around them.

When we are facing a wilderness of choices, it is important for us to be clear about the basis on which we are finally going to make our choice.  Are we merely out for our own advantage?  Do we merely wish to build our own image and position?  If so, we are failing to bring Jesus into our choosing.  But knowing that Jesus himself experienced the wilderness makes him our companion in our time of wilderness.  That can make all the difference!

Wishing you a Holy Lent,

Fr. Bob+