4th Sun. of Lent Dcn. Roger C. Mar. 10, 2024 (Dcn. Bill K. italics)
Do you believe in Jesus?
What a ridiculous question, right? Preaching to the choir. But I’m serious.
Do you really believe in Jesus? It’s a question many of us ponder from time to time, especially in difficult moments of doubt and despair in our busy lives.
I know I “say” I believe in Jesus. I know I think about him a lot. I know I read stories about his life in Scripture. And I pray to him all the time --- telling him things and asking for guidance and laying out my needs before him. And I do all of this with what I believe is a sincere heart. But how do I know? How can, I be sure? How can I tell if I’m just going through the motions, just doing these things “in case” they are true?
Nevertheless, most of us have thought or felt this way.
Many of us have believed in Jesus from our childhood. It’s what most of us have ever known. There is familiarity, comfort, and confidence that comes with hanging on to traditions that have been witnessed and passed down to us --- especially when we hear the passage from John’s Gospel:
“Whoever believes in him will not be condemned.”
I want that to be true. I want to believe that. There is a heaven; I certainly don’t want to be anywhere else.
But how do I know? CAN I even know? Is saying the words “I believe in Jesus” the same as actually believing in him? That seems a little too easy, doesn’t it? That can’t mean what Jesus intended, can it? Doesn’t God need some evidence that I believe in Him?
Isn’t it funny how we think our God --- our all-knowing, all-powerful God --- somehow needs some kind of proof to be convinced that we are true believers? It’s as if we don’t believe God already knows what is in every human heart. God knows our every motive and intention, our every thought and wish, our every moment of trust and doubt. He knows all those things. He knows whether we love him or not, trust him or not, hope in him or not, and believe in him or not. God certainly doesn’t NEED evidence, but He WANTS evidence. Why?
Because WE are the ones who need to see evidence of our belief in Jesus; of our faith in him in our daily lives. And others need to see that evidence in us too to win their hearts and souls for Christ.
They need to see evidence that we believe what we say we believe. That we have a kind and generous heart,
that we trust in God’s promises, and that we are open to God working through us. People need to see evidence that we are willing to change for the better.
So, do we really believe in Jesus?
The only way we’ll know is by actually doing our best to live as Jesus wants us to live. Acting with kindness, forgiving those who have hurt us, and reaching out to the lonely, the hurting, and the forgotten; Living a life of prayer, and the sacraments; being true witnesses of our belief in Jesus to guide strayed brothers and sisters back to the Church.
If I’m not doing these things, then the words “I believe in Jesus” are just that --- words.
May the Holy Spirit fill our entire being with a robust belief, faith, and trust in Jesus. May we not be condemned but be united with his Sacred Heart in the Holy Eucharist for our salvation and for the glory of God.