Entering into the Questions of Jesus and Allowing the Questions of Jesus to Enter into Us

May 5, 2019

ENTERING INTO THE QUESTIONS OF JESUS

Jesus seeks out Peter, the one who betrayed Him and invites him into an intimate conversation.  “Do you love me?”   After the answer He invites Peter to action—feed my lambs, feed my sheep, tend my sheep.  So often in our relationship with Jesus the roles are reversed.  We are asking Jesus the questions.  We ask Him to help us, we ask Him to walk with us, and we sometimes ask where He is.  If we take a few moments to reflect on our prayer life, we might find we do a lot more asking than Jesus does.  While petitions are a great form of prayer, it is not the only source of intimacy to be found in our relationship with Jesus.  Prayer of adoration allows us quiet time with the Lord and in the stillness rests the questions.  To be able to enter into the questions of Jesus we must find the time to quiet ourselves from our own.  Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and they have the answer before you have even finished asking the question?  I wonder if Jesus feels that way with us.  Before He can even enter into a dialogue, we have our answer prepared.  Today Jesus seeks out the one who betrayed Him and invites Peter to go past his denials and enter into a new relationship.  Three times denied, three times now newly committed.

ALLOWING THE QUESTIONS OF JESUS TO ENTER INTO US

Beyond just listening to the questions is allowing the questions to enter into us.  To be able to do this we must first understand the source of the question.  Jesus seeks out the answer because of love.  Jesus asks the questions because He is revealing His forgiveness and compassion.  Jesus asks the questions so that our faith may be strengthened.  He is revealing to us His constant love and opportunity.

While I was discerning to enter into the seminary, the voice of this Jesus brought me to this scripture passage over and over.  “Do you love me?”   I would be walking to school from the train and day after day it would be the same question.  It was followed by “tend to my flock”.  I left what was then Illinois Benedictine College, now Benedictine University, and transferred into the seminary at Niles College of Loyola University.  At the opening retreat that year, my first year there, but as a junior in college, the retreat began with that scripture passage.  I knelt and wept and knew God was in control and I was in the right place for this chapter of my life.

When we allow the question to enter into us and when we go deeper to ask what is Jesus really asking or what He is revealing to us through the questions, we meet perfect love, divine love.  We meet the true Savior of the world.

My prayer is that we can allow the questions to change our relationship with Him..

Reverend  John J. Ouper