Luke 9:43b-45

Lectio (Reading)

While they were all amazed at his every deed,
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Pay attention to what I am telling you.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”
But they did not understand this saying;
its meaning was hidden from them
so that they should not understand it,
and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Meditatio (Reflecting)

Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men. But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it,

Oratio (Responding)

This passage was a repeat of his warning that he will be killed and handed over. In between these warnings, He feeds the 5000. So He tells them that He will be murdered for his teachings, and then shows them a miracle, and then tells them about His death again. It must have been really hard for them to understand that the king of the universe, with unlimited power would allow Himself to be tortured and killed. The apostles must have felt like they were bouncing back and forth between seeing miracles, and then seeing meekness like they have never seen from a King. It is not hard to understand why they were confused, and often disbelieving. He did not act like the king of the universe, the one that will bring justice, and rule all of the world as His kingdom.

Today is no different. We only hear about the miracles…, God is not performing great miracles in the world anymore. We read His word, and follow His teachings, and we too have to contemplate the big questions, like why doesn’t the great and powerful God just fix everything, or why does He not eliminate sin? At the end of the day the answer is faith and trust. That is the key to our journey and the key to our salvation. we must strive for goodness, avoid evil, staying close to the sacraments, and always do everything with charity. The only way to accomplish this is by faith in God, and trust in His plan.

Contemplatio (Contemplating)

Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.

Resolutio (Resolving)

Oh lord, help me today to have trust, increase my faith, and help me to do your will in all things.