Allowing Space

Allowing Space

19th Sunday Ordinary Time – B

A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. The knowledge itself is not dangerous—we should always strive to grow in knowledge—but relying on our knowledge alone is. That’s how today’s Gospel begins, with the insiders thinking they know everything about who Jesus is.

And Jesus tries to tell them that the only way to really know him is to let go of their need to control and be right about their preconceptions. They need to allow space for God (and for others) to teach them.

Listen to the Father, learn from him, and then you will know Christ. Sounds simple. But how often do we let our pessimism stop us from seeing Jesus as more than we can imagine? Share on X

Listen to the Father, learn from him, and then you will know Christ. Sounds simple. But how often do we let our pessimism stop us from seeing Jesus as more than we can imagine? How often are we certain we have the full truth and demonize anyone who doesn’t agree? Just look at how awful human beings can be to one another, and we, too, might give up on the world and cry with Elijah, “This is enough, O Lord!”

But when we allow space for the possibility of a different perspective than ours, God can teach us something new. God knows us better than we know ourselves and feeds us with the living bread so that we may know all that can be possible in Christ.

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This post was first published in “GIA Quarterly: A Liturgical Music Journal.”
Image credit: Photo by Simon Rae on Unsplash.

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