31At that very hour some Pharisees came, and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." 32And he said to them, "Go and tell that fox, `Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. 33Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.' 34O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 35Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, `Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'"
Jesus is told Herod wants to kill him and he responds with courage and a profound sense of purpose. By alluding to the ”third day”, Jesus suggests that he is on a mission not of his own design and earthly factors will not deter him. The suggestion sems to be that when you accept a divine mission, strength, courage and a heightened sense of commitment comes with the decision. My mother had painted a poster for Marriage Encounter and it hung in their bedroom. It had the caption “Love is a decision”. It was a great message for a young man growing into adulthood and thinking about relationships. I turned 60 yesterday and one thing I do know is that sacramental decisions like marriage, come with God’s grace ie a strength to walk the journey to its defined end no matter what life throws at you. Not all our decisions are anointed by God but the ones based on a decision to love, are. I think when Christ offered us the commandment “Love thy neighbour as thyself” commandment, he gave us a means to know God.
ReplyDeleteYour reflection on Luke 13:31-35 beautifully captures the essence of Jesus’ unwavering commitment and how His courage wasn’t derived from Himself alone but from a divine purpose He fully embraced. When Jesus speaks of the “third day,” He indeed points to His mission, reinforcing that the trials and threats He faces won’t deter Him because His steps are ordered in divine timing.
DeleteI love how you connect this steadfastness to sacramental commitments, particularly in marriage, as a powerful reflection of God’s grace. The phrase your mother painted, "Love is a decision," encapsulates this idea well, emphasizing that love, once chosen, is upheld through divine grace, especially in decisions rooted in the commandment to love others. Jesus’ call to love our neighbor is indeed a profound way to know God because it challenges us to step into a love that goes beyond ourselves, a love anointed by God and sustained by grace.