Jesus calls his followers – that is us – to be converted. Conversion is an interesting word. In the Greek of the New Testament, it comes from two words which mean ‘beyond’ and ‘mind’, so it is a call to a new way of thinking. It asks us to ask ourselves ‘how do I see things? or ‘how do I look at the world around me?’
Lent and conversion are not just about our daily peccadillos. Lent and its call to conversion is about letting ourselves be influenced by the way Jesus sees things and does things. So, using the gospels is central to Lent, that is reading the gospels and putting ourselves in the shoes of those people who met Jesus during his lifetime.
This is a process that will take up our lifetimes. We are on a journey of conversion as were Jesus’ first disciples. Looking at the gospels, we will see that it takes those first disciples quite some time to really take in what Jesus says and does.
This process is one of coming to know the Lord Jesus. As we read through the gospels, we will find that some passages give us comfort and contentment, others will puzzle us, others will challenge us.
In the gospels, Jesus never left the people he met as they were before; he cured them, comforted them, called them to follow him, challenged the way they thought about God and their own lives. He kept directing them to the Father. He called them to believe in him.
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Mary Barbuto says:
Thanks Frank, for sharing your insights, which Iead me to a deeper understanding of who we are called to be.