Seeking Daily the Friendship With God
February 28, 2022
Having our retreat in Galilee caused a hiatus from class during our pilgrimage. Now that we have arrived in Jerusalem, our
courses have resumed. Our dive into the Gospel of John has begun starting with John’s prologue (Jn 1: 1-18). Verse 14 ends by saying, “And we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son of a Father, the fullness of grace and truth.” When John uses the word “truth,” it carries a meaning beyond the common understanding of “corresponding to reality.” “Truth” in the biblical understanding is associated with God’s fidelity to the covenant He made with His people. The fullness of God’s fidelity to that covenant is Jesus Christ “obediently accepting even death, death on a cross” here in Jerusalem. Jerusalem then is the city of the fullness of God’s faithfulness to us.
Joining this meditation with Andrew’s a few days back, God is faithful to the whole human race, yes, but it is also fidelity to each one of us as individuals. Sometimes when we find ourselves amongst the crowd, it can be easy to forget the truth that Jesus decided to die for me just as much as He chose to die for the person next to me.
Though Jesus’ death on the cross is the greatest expression of God’s faithfulness to us, that does not mean God stops revealing this fidelity. Before His ascension, Jesus promised the Apostles, “I will be with you until the end of the age.” That same promise of fidelity is extended to us. God wants to be faithful to you, and every day God is actively, and sometimes secretively, at work loving us. Without taking time to ask God, “How?” it can be easy to dismiss God’s daily love for us. Therefore, ask God each day, “How have you been faithful to me today?” God delights in surprising His children. His fidelity may be in a small ordinary event or something more miraculous. No matter which, the impact of seeing God’s love in our lives will increase our love for Him. We will be overwhelmed with the fact that God sees me and knows me personally. In turn, our hearts will be transformed to be ever more faithful to Him.
Connor Orabutt
Diocese of Rockford
