I tell you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may know that I am He. Truly, I say to you, whoever welcomes the
one I send, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the One who sent me.”

Reflection:

One of the self-justifying refrains of some people who
walked out of priesthood, religious life, or even the very
Church, can be paraphrased thus: “I gave my everything
for my Order/Church. And look at what I got! They never
recognized my talents; never placed me in the ministries
that I wanted; never gave me a chance to study further; it was
too clerical. I wasted my life in there.” They may be right. There
are many things that need to change within the Church and
many religious Orders. But they also need to honestly ask
themselves: Didn’t I follow a master who “wasted” his life? A
master who was ill-treated, never received what he deserved from
his contemporaries. Did I expect to be treated better than the
Master?” If we can understand this, our perspectives on life
will change. And if we put it into practice, as Jesus says,
we will be blessed!

© Copyright Bible Diary 2022