Imagine it with me. Jesus is the exact human embodiment of God. If we know Jesus, we know God. If we learn from Jesus, we learn God's thinking. If we watch Jesus, we see God's emotions. And if we imitate Jesus, we understand God's heart.
Today's verse is from the Last Supper. Jesus is telling his friends not to be troubled and to trust God. (Keep in mind, Jesus has just predicted some very dire things about them, in chapter 13--that Judas would betray him and that Peter would deny him, he barked at Peter for not letting him wash his feet, and worst of all, he had just told them he'd be leaving them soon.)
At times of great trouble and worry, do I remember God is with me? How disturbed am I by challenging events? Do I stop functioning when a crisis happens? Do little annoyances overwhelm me? It can happen.
Some years after Jesus departed, Saint Paul offers some advice that remains valid today. He wrote, "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Today, I will rejoice, pray and give thanks to God at least once every hour, and I will try simply to say, "Thank you Jesus." immediately each time I am challenged by a trouble or worry.
Saint Leonard, patron of political prisoners, imprisoned people, prisoners of war, and captives, women in labour, as well as horses, pray for us.
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