Getting a sense of Jesus’ style
“He will not contend or cry out, nor will his voice be heard in the streets. The bruised reed he will not crush; the smoldering wick he will not quench…” (Mt 12). In reading the Gospels it is very important to get a sense of Jesus’ style. Not only is a knowledge of his style valuable for our personal relationship with him; it is also valuable for the way we imitate him in our own outreach. Jesus works from within the human heart. In that sense his voice is not heard on the street. He is not a huckster of a faddish spirituality. He invites a response of our freedom to his appeal to our hearts. That is the way he reached the people whom he met along the road when he walked the earth. When he opened the eyes of a blind person he opened more than that person’s eyes.
What reaches the hearts of those who hear him, what reaches our own hearts, is a voice that calls us “the Beloved.” Moreover, it is a voice that speaks the truth about our spiritual need and what we can become.
Prayer:
Let me hear your voice in my heart, Lord. Give me grace to respond to your loving invitation and courage to follow you.