He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Then they invited him to stay for a few days. (Acts 10:48-9 NABRE)
God wants a relationship with you now. Why wait?
In today's verses we see the baptism of the first Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians. At the time, this would have been unimaginable among the Jewish Christians. They had rules preventing interaction with Gentiles because they were considered profane and unclean. God had other plans. He made it clear that he wants a relationship with each and every one of us. This seems to have two implications:
- Each of us who hears and knows about God has the simple choice to freely follow Jesus in faith.
- Each follower of Jesus is called to tell others about him so they too can have a personal relationship with the Lord.
You may be saying, "That's enough reason to wait!" I know I did. The good news is that you only really need to focus on #1. Decide to follow Jesus and see where it takes you. That's all. The second implication will follow naturally in God's time.
Each day I refresh my relationship with the Lord. I invite you to join me in the great peace and joy that comes from it! Come to Mass! If you've left the Church for some reason, give it another visit soon. Come back to the Church. You are always welcome. Encounter--or re-encounter--Jesus and his holy Spirit. Especially now, during Advent, as the world waits for the celebration of Jesus' birth, of his coming among us, his incarnation, Christmas, what better time is there to start a new relationship with such a perfect friend.
Today, I will refresh my relationship with the Lord, my perfect friend, and rest in the joy it brings to my life.
Saint Juan Diego, to whom the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, appeared in the 16th century, pray for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment