No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he becomes like his teacher, for the slave that he becomes like his master. (Matthew 10:24-25)
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 3:18)
The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. (John 3:35)
For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. (John 5:20)
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. (John 14:21)
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. (John 15:9)
God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6)
The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (Romans 5:5)
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34, 35)
For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:14, 15)
In the previous Catholic Man Channel article, we discussed how God wants to use us in spite of our weakness. This week I want to discuss what it means to be like Jesus (Matthew 10:25; 1 Corinthians 3:18). Of course, when we look at the miraculous displays of power and wisdom, compassion and sacrifice that seemed constantly to flow from Jesus, it is natural to think that becoming like Jesus means we have to become holier, wiser, calmer; more loving, powerful, understanding; indifferent to popular opinion, impervious to insult, and resistant to offense. Those are good qualities, but they aren't what Jesus cites first in the context of becoming like him. At the heart of all of this is Jesus' absolute assurance of his Father's love (John 3:35; 5:20).
This is key. If we want to manifest any of the qualities we see in Jesus, we need to be grounded and secure in the knowledge of God's love (John 14:21; 15:9). We need to learn to trust that he will never forget about us, never stop caring for us (Hebrews 13:5-6). God's love for us remains constant, even in those moments when we feel abandoned, vulnerable, full of doubt, or even persecuted for our belief in the gospel. We are all precious in his sight, valuable to him not for what we can do but simply for who we are: his sons, created in love, redeemed in love, sustained in love, and destined for love.
Though it may sound far too exalted for any of us to hope for, the truth is that this knowledge of God's love is not beyond our reach. Why? Because God delights in pouring his love into us (Romans 5:5). He is a very generous God, eager to shower us with his grace and revelation. He wants us to be generous like him and give to others this love he has given to us.
We so often have an image of God as a stern judge waiting for us to fulfill some strict set of requirements before he will give us just an inkling of his grace. Don't you believe it! God's love is available to anyone who opens his heart in prayer. His love permeates every word of Scripture and beckons us every moment of every day. This week, take God at his word. Try resting quietly with him in prayer, asking him to assure you of his immense love for you. Then give that love to others (John 13:34). Tell them of Jesus' love for them. Then you will become more and more like Jesus, your Teacher.
"Father, help me to rest quietly with you everyday in prayer and worship. Fill me afresh with your love that I may know more deeply that I am a beloved son. I want to know your love more, so that I can bring it to everyone I meet. Transform me more and more into the image and likeness of your beloved son Jesus."
Many thanks to The Word Among Us for allowing us to adapt material from daily meditations in their monthly devotional magazine. Used with permission.
Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. Take a few minutes to reflect on the Scriptures at the beginning of the article. What message stands out for you from these Scriptures?
2. Jesus is the model, par excellence, of what it means to be a Christian man. We all know that to be like Jesus, we need to take on the kinds of qualities describes in the article. Yet with these words, the article states that there is much more to it than that: "Those are good qualities, but they aren't what Jesus cites first in the context of becoming like him. At the heart of all of this is Jesus' absolute assurance of his Father's love (John 3:35; 5:20)." Do you agree with this? Why or why not?
3. Why is knowing that we are loved by God the basis for loving and serving others as Jesus' disciple?
4. The article states that "God's love is available to anyone who opens his heart in prayer. His love permeates every word of Scripture and beckons us every moment of every day." What steps can you take to allow God to reveal more and more of his love for you?
5. If you are in a men's group, end your meeting by praying to the Lord for one another that each of you would know and experience more deeply the Father's and Jesus' love for you. Use the prayer at the end of the article as the starting point.
