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The
[Samaritan] woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming, the
one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything."
Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking with you."
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One
of the delightful questions of the movie "Secondhand Lions" was whether
you can believe anything that Hub and Garth say. The audience of the
movie and young Walter are constantly asking that question in their
minds. Maybe Hub
really was a foreign legionnaire and led thousands of men into battle
and won and lost a dozen fortunes, and maybe he really was in love with
a desert princess, but does it matter? That which puts everything in
perspective is contained in one of Hub's special speeches that he
"always gives" to young men who must learn a lesson. "Sometimes the
things that may or may not be true," he tells them, "are the things a
man needs to believe in the most: that people are basically good; that
honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money mean
nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; that love, true love
never dies. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. A man should believe in
those things, because those are the things worth believing in."
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What
are the things worth believing in for human beings? It is an important
question for us. What do we believe in, and if we do believe, what does
it mean for our lives? The Samaritan woman had those questions as she
interacted with Jesus in John's Gospel: who was this person who seemed
to be able to read what she was thinking, and more importantly, seemed
to be someone that she could trust? And if she trusted him, what would
that mean for her life, and the way she was living at that moment? Was
this person someone to believe in? Was he the Anointed, the Messiah,
the one who
would tell them what direction to go? Jesus, simply and very
directly
tells her and us: "I am he."
The Christian believes that Jesus is the Messiah. Such is the statement of faith, but it goes much further than a "statement." The believer in Jesus will understand exactly what Hub spoke of: here was someone that a person could believe in. Here was a person who said that people are basically good, that honor, courage and virtue mean everything, that power and money mean nothing, that good always triumphs over evil, that true love never dies. If we believe in him, and what he spoke, our lives will take on a different perspective. Uncle Hub of the movie "Secondhand Lions" had the insight to know that believing was the important thing. Christians agree with that insight, and say that believing in a person is the important thing. We believe that that person is Jesus the Anointed, the Messiah. And so, we will follow his guidelines. |
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THOUGHT
In your opinion, do
most Christians completely accept the teachings of Jesus? Why or why
not?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, we believe in your Son. We believe that he is the one
whom you sent to redeem us, and in fact, that he is our one God with
you and the
Holy Spirit. Help us not only believe in you and him, but also
believe what Jesus told us to do. Be with us, we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |