looking to obey
"Incurable is your wound, grievous your bruise; there is none to plead your cause, no remedy for your running sore, no healing for you." —Jeremiah 30:12-13
Jeremiah considered the condition of God's people incurable. However, the Lord revealed that this impossible condition would be reversed. The Lord promised: "From them will resound songs of praise, the laughter of happy men. I will make them not few, but many; they will not be tiny, for I will glorify them" (Jer 30:19).
This miraculous change is done in the same way in which Peter walked on water. Peter was able to walk on water (Mt 14:29) by fixing his eyes on Jesus, the Beginning and the End of our faith (see Heb 12:2). However, Peter was called not just to look at Jesus, but to look at Jesus for the purpose of obeying Him. The psalmist prays: "To You I lift up my eyes Who are enthroned in heaven. Behold, as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, as the eyes of a maid are on the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes on the Lord" (Ps 123:1-2). We fix our eyes on Jesus just as servants look at their masters' hands in anticipation of a command.
After walking on water, Jesus healed all who touched the tassel of His cloak (Mt 14:36). This is like looking at Jesus in order to walk on water. Both looking and touching are acts of obedience. God said: "When you use these tassels, let the sight of them remind you to keep all the commandments of the Lord" (Nm 15:39).
Miraculous changes are done by looking to obey and touching to obey. The most miraculous change of all and the basis for all miraculous changes was done through Jesus "obediently accepting even death, death on a cross!" (Phil 2:8; see also Rm 5:19) Obey the Lord and change the world.
Prayer: Father, may my life be a walk on the waters because I walk in obedience.
Promise: "The nations shall revere Your name, O Lord." —Ps 102:16
Praise: Praise You, Jesus, for giving us Your mother Mary to nourish and guide us (Jn 19:26-27).
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 19, 2014
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