A Thought

“If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”  John 10:37-38

This passage makes me think of the “Great Commission” as the eleven disciples (soon to become “apostles”) gathered to Christ before His Ascension into Heaven included “doubters” among those who gathered and worshiped the Lord.  We cannot ignore what is written in that passage (Matthew 28:16-20) as it is inferred that Jesus did not take offense and dismiss these “doubters” before He spoke His words. 

The “doubters” among us are never more prominent that during the holiday season when there are so many conflicts in the so-called “war on Christmas”.  These “doubters” and outright “deniers” are downright hostile to the Advent season and to the Holy Day itself.  Why do they seem so antagonistic to Christians, Christmas, and the Church?  Why do we take offense when they do not believe us? 

It may be in why many of us can become so easily offended when any errors are pointed out to us; people just don’t take us at our words, and we hate to be wrong!  More telling, however, is that people during this Holy Season do not believe our “works”.  We adamantly proclaim “Jesus is the reason for the season”, but we look and act just like the “doubters” and the “deniers” by cursing them.  Even Jesus did not seem to be offended when the religious leaders did not take Him at His word, but He was clear that His “works” could not be denied as having come from the Holy Father.

We need not be offended that so many do not believe what we believe, but we should be convicted if they do not believe our “works” as those having come from the One whom we profess as “Savior”.  If these “doubters” and “deniers” cannot see Christ in our works, they have every right and reason to reject our words.

Let the glory of our Holy Lord be the “reason for the season” and let us, by our works, give “doubters” and “deniers” a reason to believe.

A blessed Advent,

Michael