lord
“As He moved on, Jesus saw a man named Matthew at his post where taxes were collected. He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ ” —Matthew 9:9
When your spouse dies, Jesus is there as Lord of the burial. As with Sarah’s burial, He wants to use this occasion to prepare others to enter the promised land (see Gn 23:20). When you’re attracted to someone of the opposite sex and even contemplating marriage, Jesus is there as Lord of the courtship. When you’re thinking about getting a job or changing jobs, Jesus is there to be Lord of your employment and unemployment.
Jesus wants to become Lord of your eating, sleeping, entertainment, conversation, money, time, education, shopping, parenting, thinking, feeling, sexuality, etc. If He’s not Lord of all, He’s not Lord at all.
We Christians keep talking about Jesus being Lord of our lives (see Mt 7:21), but live as if “it just ain’t so.” If it were, Christian funerals would be noticeably different from non-Christian ones. If Jesus were accepted as Lord, most young Christians getting married would be virgins, and some Christian workers would stay on or change to low-paying jobs despite more profitable opportunities.
If Jesus were accepted as Lord, Christians would repeatedly do things impossible for those in the world to understand unless they come to believe in Jesus’ cross and Resurrection.
Prayer: Jesus, be Lord of areas of my life of which I’ve never even thought to turn over to You.
Promise: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His kindness endures forever.” —Ps 106:1
Praise: Jane uses her scraps of fabric to make quilts for the poor and homeless. She prays continually while doing her quilting.
Reference:
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the period from June 1, 2021 through July 31, 2021. Reverend Steve J Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 20, 2021"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.