“I tell you the truth, when you were younger you
dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will
stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you
do not want to go.” Jesus said this to
indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” (John 21:18-19)
There is a shift necessary if we truly
want to follow Jesus. It is a shift
that’s as demanding as it is unavoidable.
It is the shift from autonomy to obedience, the shift from independence
to dependence, the shift from clenched fists to outstretched hands,
the shift from leading to being led. It
is ultimately the shift from control to absolute surrender.
That is the invitation of Lent, the season
where we are invited by Jesus to “Come and die, that I might raise you to new
life.” Which makes the real question of
the season: What needs to die in me in order for something beautiful to be
born?
Lord, you know me better than I know
myself. Your Spirit pervades every
moment of my life. Thank you for the grace
and love you shower on me. Thank you for
your constant, gentle invitation to let you into my life. Forgive me for the times I have refused that
invitation, and have closed myself off from you. Help me in the day(s) to come, to recognize
your presence in my life, to open myself to you, to let you work in me, to your
greater glory. Amen. ~St. Ignatius
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