Meaning through Belief

Scripture/Bible:  And Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And he who sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden me." John 12:44-50

Reflection:  What is it and what does he mean when he says; "He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me”?

It means that Jesus has closely identified himself with the mission the Father has sent him to or in other words he is no different from his Father.  You are not going to commit any sacrilege when you believe in Jesus and give him equal status as the Father.

The word believe means; to accept as true, to have a firm faith or to trust and have complete confidence.

Can one imagine a God who leaves humans to believe in what is not true, and more so seeks to confuse them further, either completely or partially, and that we have to seek the fullness in other philosophies, ideas or religions. Can we believe in a God who leaves us as confused as our perplexed state of mind?  And that he sends someone to us who only preaches a gospel of confusion?  

Of course, there are many who can be still confused with the gospel of Jesus Christ and can remain so not because Christ is confusing but rather because they read his word from their stand point, trusting either in themselves or some so called 'experts' but not in Christ Jesus.

Christ Jesus will not leave you confused, except at the beginning, till you learn to listen to him from among the many confusing voices in your head; if your acknowledge them to be confusing.  This is so, not because Jesus is confusing but rather because the stain of confusion in us takes time to be washed away. It depends on how much we cooperate with God’s gracious gift of cleansing and his special guidance offered to us through his written word and through the working of the Holy Spirit received with reverence and love.

Just as a bar of soap cannot cleanse us, but can even make us dirty unless we learn to use it for its intended purpose and with the help of water, similarly God’s word can only cleanse us if we allow it to do so in the right way with the help of God’s Holy Spirit and the various help given us through magisterium of the Church and through its tradition. .

Prayer:  Lord I want to first realize my state of constant confusion and then turn to you and your word so as to find the true meaning of life.

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