Today’s readings reveal to us the oneness of Jesus’ body. What do I mean by this? I mean that Jesus who is fully human and fully divine is the one who all of humanity is a part of. We are all part of his oneness, whether we realize this or not.
Our Gospel offers a glimpse into the physical needs Jesus had and how, through service to Jesus, we can receive the healing our hearts yearn for. You see, Jesus in being fully human and fully divine, needed to tend to his physical needs. Out of humility Jesus allowed himself to have such needs so that the women could serve him. We too are called to tend to the needs of Jesus’ body – the needs of those around us.
The Women
Out of the women’s resources they provided for Jesus and in return, these women received the physical, emotional, and spiritual healing their hearts yearned for. So beautiful – Jesus out of humility (once again) allowed himself to be in need of assistance so that these women could seek him out for healing. If Jesus had not made himself vulnerable and in need, perhaps these women would not have felt worthy enough to be around him. If they were not around him then they would not have received the healing their hearts yearned for.
The women were cured of “evil spirits and infirmities.” You see, these women lived in the milieu of love that can only be found fully in Jesus Christ – God incarnate. No wonder Mary Magdalene loved him so. We too can live in such love and bliss. Yet, we must take the steps necessary to experience it. We must seek and find Jesus like these suffering women did – his body is still in need today. We must seek and find the Jesus in one another, the Jesus who has needs we are called to meet. In return we will receive the healing and love our hearts desire.
Jesus – Fully Human AND Fully Divine
Like Jesus, we too have physical needs we must tend to. Tending to such needs requires that we accept support from others with a grateful heart, with a heart like Jesus when he accepted provisions from the women. Other people farm the foods we eat, make the roads we drive on, build the houses we live in, and so the long list goes. All of humanity is dependent on one another – we are all part of the oneness of Jesus Christ. Our God is a communal God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He created us in his image to live and love in a community as well. God created us to live in the oneness of his Son Jesus Christ. When we see Christ in one another we give gratitude for the gifts they bring forth as well.
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. – 1 Corinthians 12:12 (NRSVCE)
The Resurrection – A Promise
In our first reading Paul reveals to us the promise of the resurrection of the dead – our promise of resurrection. That’s right, you and I are promised complete resurrection of our body because Jesus Christ has been raised. You see, we are one and together our oneness is the complete body of Jesus. Since he rose we are promised the same miraculous gift.
However, his body on earth is still broken. We still sin, we still hurt one another and we are not ready to rise quite yet. You see, there can be no sin in heaven and it is heaven where Jesus resides – at the right hand of the Father. So we have a task ahead of us – participate in the healing of the Body of Christ.
My Central Point
All of this brings me to the impetus for my writing today – a question I received from a woman after last week’s reflection on the importance of self-love: Be Like Jesus. I’ll share with you her comment because my guess is that many of you have had the same question arise from your heart at some point in your life. I know I have.
One question: can you share with readers how you keep joy in your heart in times of deep personal despair of those we love?
This lady’s words hit my heart hard. She is suffering deeply and she is part of the same body of Christ each and every one of us belong to. We all need healing and we all seek joy. I believe that the way the body of Christ will receive full and complete restoration is when we look at our individual, and collective pain, and use it to more fully unite ourselves with Jesus Christ. This lady is on her way because she is seeking him.
Sometimes we need to feel our pain. I know this is hard to accept, after all, no one likes to experience pain – especially heavy pain. However, our pain can be the most beautiful signpost pointing us towards full restoration and ultimate resurrection. Through all of this we are all human beings, and in being such, we will only experience true joy when we unite our pain with Jesus. We must reach out for his aid. Remember, he is close to the brokenhearted. I know Jesus is close to this woman, he is holding her in his tender arms. Together let’s pray for her and let her know that she is loved and cared for by this community. I have been holding her in my prayers all week.
I Am Love
So how can this lady, and how can we, find joy amidst turmoil and pain? We can start by looking at the individuals in our lives with whom we experience pain and bring forth forgiveness and acceptance – something I have written extensively about in my newest book: Understanding The Jesus Code. From the bottom of my heart, I wish multitudes would read it so that they too can come to understand how to experience the inner joy Jesus has revealed to me. Forgiveness and acceptance is a process my friends – a bigger process then I can address in this reflection. So for now I would like to share with all of you a very nice little meditation I have named I Am Love. You can use this meditation anytime you are in need of respite. I hope it brings all of you a little respite from time to time.
I have share the I Am Love meditation in Chapter 14: The Language of LIVE Within The Nine Faces of Struggle my book, Understanding the Jesus Code. So please allow me to share with you an excerpt from this chapter in today’s reflection.
I AM Love Meditation
You can do this meditation anytime, and it works very well during moments of acute stress. You do not need to practice breath work or even try to focus during this meditation. You can do this meditation when you are in the middle of a busy activity or when you are at rest. All you need to do is repeat “I—Am—Love” continuously until you feel at peace.
You can use this meditation during those times when you need a quick rescue. You can also use it during times of relaxed meditation to soothe and balance your central nervous system. Using meditation to promote relaxation and balance will help put you in a state of relaxed calm. In this state, your body will then move into parasympathetic mode where it will heal and repair itself.
Why I Am Love Works So Well
Why does this apparently simple little three-word meditation work so well? To understand its power, we can look to sacred scripture. In Exodus we see that “I Am” is God’s name, the name he gave Moses to give to his chosen people who he had rescued from Egypt. We also see that Jesus said it many times when referring to his fully human and fully divine nature.
God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”—Exodus 3:14 (NRSVCE)
“I am” is also a defining statement that holds great power when you speak it. When you speak “I am,” you are proclaiming something as truth. I am hungry, I am cold, I am happy, I am smart, I am pretty, I am ______ (you fill in the blank). So what happens when you say and proclaim “I Am Love”? Great things, my friend! All of the cells in your body agree with this statement because it is a statement of truth. You were created in the image of God who is all love, and given this, you are also love. Unfortunately, many have forgotten who they are. They have given way to false beliefs that cause themselves and others harm while entering into sin and separation from God.
Lastly, when you say, “I Am Love,” you are also uttering “God God” over and over. God is both the Great I Am and Love. And like any loving parent, God will hear your call for him. Remember, he already knows what your heart needs before you call out to him.
“For your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”—Matthew 6:8 (NRSVCE)
I hope you find a way to use your pain as a signpost pointing towards Jesus Christ – the one who is love himself and whose oneness we are a part of. I hope you find yourself among the Body of Christ – offering love, hope, and encouragement to the other members of this sacred body. May you forgive and love as you experience the life God has for you! – Carolyn
Sacred Heart of Jesus – have mercy on us.
Mother Mary – pray for us.
Saint Paul – pray for us.
Today’s Readings: 1 Corinthians 15: 12-20, Psalm 17; Luke 8:1-3
