Seeing Jesus

Well I'm still working on “Doctrine Part II: The Indentity of the Church”. That, though, is such a vast topic that I'm trying to figure out how to organize it all so that it will be readable!

I've often wondered what it would have been like to live in the days of Christ and watch Him interact with people as He ministered to them. Don't get me wrong; I am MORE than glad to be living in modern times having the benefit of hind-sight in matters of faith. I just think it would have been cool to watch the stories of the Gospels be played out in front of me—but then would I have believed as readily as I did having heard them in a Christian family environment? Anyway, that’s not the point I’m making at all! (You’ll pardon me please if I am a bit scattered…this is just streaming thought at almost 4 am! Haha)

My point is that I think, in some way, I DID see Jesus this weekend! I made a visit up to the Salesians of Don Bosco, a Roman Catholic community of “brothers” and priests (and those working toward becoming one of the two) who minister primarily to young people. While I was up there I watched these guys interact with kids who mostly were not at all what you’d call “well-to-do” and with each other. I watched them treat each other kindly with love, and I watched them look with such compassion on the kids (even when they were being…lets call it “rowdy” haha). Now, I’m not going to idolize them. They are men, and as such I’m sure they have their “issues”. But seriously, with every conversation I had with them and with every game we played and pretty much every time I “turned around”, I saw someone that reminded me of Jesus! Its hard to put a finger on what it was exactly (the words “charity” and “compassion” and “peaceful” come to mind but don’t properly serve to convey what I’m trying to get across). I’m sure that it has everything to do with the emphasis on prayer and spiritual living there, and it is quite evident that they are a religious community. Here’s the kicker though: they weren’t the kind of religious people that make you feel like religious life is out of reach to all but them and a few other privileged few. For all the ways that they reflect our Lord, they really are “normal” guys. By “normal” I mean that they didn’t act lofty and unattached from the “real world”. In fact, then very nature of their ministry requires them to be in touch with the world around them. They truly are “in the world not of the world”.

Now I know that God is at work all around me at all times, but I left New Jersey last weekend feeling as though I had been face to face with Heaven all weekend watching Jesus work miracles before my very eyes. And isn’t it supposed to be that way?

I'm very grateful for the experience to say the least!