JESUS DOESN’T CHANGE…WE DO
“I the Lord do not change,”(Malachi 3:6) and ” Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8) are just two of the passages found in both the Old and New Testaments that remind us of the never changing, never ending love of the Father, who continually rescued His people, of the Holy Spirit, the ever faithful advocate, and of Jesus, who in the moment of indescribable agony forgave those who crucified Him.
While Jesus was on earth, His love was manifested in so many ways – by encouraging the downtrodden, curing the sick, elevating the cultural attitude toward widows, and women in general, by feeding the hungry, showing pity to those in pain and mercy to those in search of repentance. Jesus’command to His disciples to “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12) was His way of telling them that the love He demonstrated while He was with them could not and would not change after He was gone.
Some change is good, growth as physical beings is natural, growth as spiritual beings can bring us joy, peace, and the courage to love others as Jesus loved us. But there are also those questions that we must examine in ourselves – in good conscience, like possible changes in our lifestyles, our embrace of the current culture, or our ability to rationalize right and wrong as we see fit. Have we lived our lives believing in and being fed by the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist – but have been able to walk away from the miracle because we have become disillusioned by some in the Church? Have we rushed to judgment of others who may have opinions different from our own?
Jesus love for us is not dependent on our love in return, it is not reciprocal. He died for ALL. Yes, Jesus loves us the way we are, but He does not want to leave us there – and while He will never change, we might ask of ourselves – what does Jesus need to change in my life?
Submitted by Marguerite Mullins