When? Where? Under what conditions? These are the questions Jesus is pummeled with today. I wonder if his answer gave his questioners the information that they wanted to hear. We do not really know what the reaction was of the crowd. Did they understand, or were they even more confused, or something else? I, too, am periodically tempted to pummel Jesus with questions. Why? For what? What did he or she, or I do? What does this mean? Where do I go from here? When will I know for sure? Under what conditions?
Jesus assures the crowd, and us today, “do not be terrified.” Can prayer today offer you that peace? Might Jesus be wishing to calm you in prayer today as well? What questions do you have for the Lord? What questions are weighing heavily on your heart today? Can you let Jesus sit with them, too?
—Patrick Hyland, S.J., a Jesuit scholastic of the Chicago-Detroit province, is currently studying philosophy at St. Louis University.