September 2, 2020

Wednesday of the Twenty-Second Week of Ordinary Time

Readings for Today

At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place. The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him, they tried to prevent him from leaving them. Luke 4:42

What a beautiful act of affection and love for Jesus. Here, Jesus was with the crowds at sunset and spent the entire night with the people curing them and preaching to them. Perhaps they all got some sleep at some point but it may have happened that Jesus was up with them all night.

In this passage above, Jesus went away to be alone at daybreak just as the sun was rising. He went to pray and simply be present to His Father in Heaven. And what happened? Even though Jesus had dedicated the entire last evening and night to the people, they wanted to be with Him some more. He was gone for a short time to pray and they immediately went searching for Him. And when they found Jesus, they begged Him to stay longer.

Though Jesus had to move on and preach to other towns, it is clear that He made quite an impression with these people. Their hearts were touched deeply and they wanted Jesus to stay.

The good news is that Jesus can now stay with us 24/7 today. At that time, He had not yet ascended to Heaven and therefore was limited to being in one place at a time. But now that He is in Heaven, Jesus can live in all places at all times.

So what we see in this passage above is the desire that we should all have. We should desire that Jesus remains with us 24/7 just as these good people desired. We should go to sleep with Him on our minds, wake praying to Him and allow Him to accompany us throughout every day. We should foster the same love and affection for Jesus that the people had in this passage above. Fostering that desire is the first step to allowing His presence to accompany us all day every day.

Reflect, today, upon your desire or lack of desire to be with Jesus always. Are there times when you prefer He not be there? Or have you allowed yourself to have this same affection for Jesus seeking His presence in your life always?

Lord, I desire that You be present in my life all day long every day. May I always seek You and always be attentive to Your presence in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Image: Jesus Went Out into a Desert Place by James Tissot