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Today’s Gospel reading is the second prediction of the Lord’s passion. And as we may imagine, any time that Jesus referenced His impending suffering and death, His followers had a hard time accepting that reality. What Jesus was describing to them did not fit the confines of their mind in relation to what the Messiah was supposed to be. And further, if they followed that train of thought and believed that the Messiah was supposed to suffer and die, then what did that mean for them as His followers? Keep in mind that the ‘style’ of their Messiah was one of great splendor and glory – as Jesus in fact was in the end – but without the grueling passion, suffering, and death. I find it almost comical how we hear Jesus saying to them, “Pay attention to what I am telling you,” as he must have been seeing the quizzical looks on their faces.
I can very much relate to those early disciples in the sense that there have been times in my life that I have been told hard realities by family, friends, or people close to me that I was hearing with my ears, but that I simply could not understand at the time. Or maybe I understood only a small portion of what they were really trying to tell me at the time, and then later on it made so much more sense.
So while there are many, many lessons to be drawn from this Gospel passage, perhaps the one we could think about today is how to keep an open mind and an open heart. In fact, whether or not these disciples had an open mind or an open heart is what distinguished and divided them later on after Jesus’ suffering and death. The ones that had an open mind, while horrified and confused, still watched, waited and prayed, and were still around at the time of the Resurrection. The ones who were hard of heart simply wagged their heads, walked away, and missed THE most important part and the meaning of it all.
What hard truths do you need to open your mind and heart to today? Because if you are willing to watch, wait, and pray through the hard and confusing times, what beautiful glorious things you will see at the other end!
La lectura del Evangelio de hoy es la segunda predicción de la pasión del Señor. Y, como podemos imaginar, cada vez que Jesús hacía referencia a su inminente sufrimiento y muerte, a sus seguidores les resultaba difícil aceptar esa realidad. Lo que Jesús les describía no encajaba dentro de los confines de su mente en relación con lo que el Mesías se suponía que debía ser. Y, además, si seguían esa línea de pensamiento y creían que el Mesías debía sufrir y morir, ¿qué significaba eso entonces para ellos como sus seguidores? Tengamos en cuenta que el estilo de su Mesías era de gran esplendor y gloria —tal como Jesús fue, de hecho, al final— pero sin la extenuante pasión, el sufrimiento y la muerte. Me resulta casi cómico escuchar a Jesús diciéndoles: “Presten mucha atención a lo que les voy a decir”, pues debió de haber visto las miradas perplejas en sus rostros.
Me identifico mucho con aquellos primeros discípulos, en el sentido de que ha habido momentos en mi vida en los que familiares, amigos o personas cercanas me han comunicado realidades difíciles; yo las escuchaba con mis oídos, pero simplemente no lograba comprenderlas en ese momento. O tal vez comprendía sólo una pequeña parte de lo que realmente intentaban decirme en aquel instante, y fue mucho más tarde cuando todo cobró mucho más sentido.
Así pues, aunque son muchísimas las lecciones que pueden extraerse de este pasaje del Evangelio, tal vez podríamos reflexionar hoy en la importancia de mantener una mente abierta y un corazón abierto. De hecho, el que estos discípulos tuvieran o no una mente y un corazón abiertos fue precisamente lo que los distinguió y los dividió más tarde, tras el sufrimiento y la muerte de Jesús. Aquellos que tenían una mente abierta —aun estando horrorizados y confundidos— siguieron velando, esperando y orando; y seguían presentes en el momento de la Resurrección. Aquellos que tenían el corazón endurecido simplemente negaron con la cabeza, se marcharon y se perdieron la parte MÁS importante que dio sentido a todo.
¿Ante cuáles verdades difíciles necesitas abrir hoy tu mente y tu corazón? Porque si estás dispuesto a velar, esperar y orar a través de los tiempos difíciles y confusos, ¡qué cosas tan hermosas y gloriosas verás al otro lado!
Mary Schneider is a bilingual professional currently serving at Davenport University, where she oversees the Credit for Prior Learning process. With a career rooted in high-stakes administrative leadership, Mary has transitioned her expertise in organizational strategy and stakeholder relations into the academic sphere. Prior to her focus in academics, Mary served as the Executive Assistant to the President at Davenport University, acting as a key liaison for the Board of Trustees and state legislators. Her diverse professional background spans multiple sectors, including real estate and nonprofit leadership across the United States, Australia, and Ireland. A graduate of Anahuac University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Development, Mary is also pursuing her MBA in Leadership Strategies and is a recent graduate of Davenport’s Leadership Academy through their Office of Performance Excellence. She is mother to four beautiful children and a new puppy, has a passionate pastime of music and singing, and while fully blessed with all of those things, treasures her faith as the most valuable gift of all.
Feature Image Credit: cyrus gomez, unsplash.com/photos/white-heart-key-chain-x4HjxzOoIxU
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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