Daily Reflection St. Athanasius, Memorial

 I am part of a book club that meets monthly. We have been gathering now for several years and read every genre of book. One of my friends, Jane, was never an avid reader; yet, she decided to join us anyway. For the first few months Jane would skip to the back of every book to find the ending. Her curiosity would overtake her about two chapters into the story. She would exclaim, “I can’t take the suspense; I need to know how the story ends.” Over time, Jane developed a love for reading. She enjoyed getting to know each character and the developing storylines. Jane finally paid attention to everything she was reading.
     After praying over today’s gospel, I thought of Jane and our book club. I imagine all those people who asked Jesus “How long are you going to keep us in suspense?” like the readers who skipped to the back of the book. Jesus’ followers, anticipating more because they did not understand his words or actions, are the ones who missed all the good stuff. They missed the joy the widow from Nain felt when Jesus raised her son from the dead. They missed the gratitude Peter felt when Jesus cured his mother-in-law. They missed Jesus’ humanity when he wept for his friend Lazarus. They missed the wonder and awe of the blind man, who saw the world for the first time after Jesus gave him sight. They missed the feeling of community the lepers experienced as they re-entered society. They missed the feeling of self-worth that the children, the widows, and the poor felt after walking with Jesus. They missed the love of our suffering Jesus as he gave up his life for us. They missed the excitement that Mary Magdalene felt when she met the risen Jesus, her beloved friend and teacher. They missed everything!  The people who questioned witnessed all these physical and spiritual miracles.  Yet their eyes and hearts were closed to the miraculous!  They had Jesus right there with them and missed his presence, his love.  
     How blessed are we, to know and love Jesus because we have experienced his love through others!  John chapter 21:25 states, “There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.” In the book of life, we are the authors. It is up to us to write the next chapters. Will our pages be filled with love of neighbor, care of the poor, and of God’s creation or will those we encounter just want to jump to the ending?