Ordinary time in the Church calendar year is anything but ordinary. It is during this season, that the primary focus of the readings chosen from the Gospels are on Jesus’ life and teachings. By making time to read, pray, and meditate upon his word, and then putting what we have learned into practice we become his disciples.
We get the word disciple from the Greek, mathētḗs, and Latin, discipulus, which both mean pupil. A pupil is one who learns from the teacher. And as we heard in today’s Gospel, Jesus is teaching his disciples that:“No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40).
Who wouldn’t want to be more like Jesus? There are many ways to answer that question. Some possibilities come down what people’s experience of Christians have been, what their concept of Jesus is, and what they think about and decide to do with his teachings.
When we spend any time reading his teachings, we will come across some that are challenging. Just as when those who heard that Jesus is the true bread from heaven and that those who followed him would eat his flesh and drink his blood walked away. They had enough. Multiplying five loaves and two fish were one thing, but eating his flesh and blood was quite another. But the twelve stayed, for when Jesus asked them if they would leave also, Peter said, “Where else are we to go, you have the words of eternal life.”
That is the answer of a disciple of Jesus. Even when we may not understand, disagree, or don’t feel we are capable of putting into practice some of Jesus’ teachings, we can trust that what he is saying is the truth. They are not unreasonable and not impossible. We may not understand or be able to do them because we are incapable of understanding without insight from the Holy Spirit and cannot put them into practice on our own power apart from Jesus. Jesus is the Word, he is our life and the source of our strength and with him all things are possible.
Jesus has challenged us in our most recent daily readings to love our enemies and those who hate us, outlined how we will be happy by living out the beatitudes even though they may seem counterintuitive, and as he has shared today, that we are not to judge others. If we do not agree, do not feel we can, then we bring our struggle to Jesus. We ask him to help us understand how we can love our enemy, how we can forgive, and not judge. And bring to him those specific persons we call to mind.
When we trust in Jesus, are honest with him, and share where we are struggling with his teachings, while trusting in him as Peter and the other Apostles did, we will come to understand, be transformed, and grow in our relationship with him. Seeking out guidance from those who are living those teachings is also helpful. Even when we feel like we can’t love or forgive someone, as long as we are willing to invite Jesus to help us to resist judging, to love and forgive, he will do so through us, and we will make progress. We will learn from our teacher, be empowered by him, and become like him.
Painting: Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles by Duccio Buoninsegna
Spiritual Stepping Stones 