We just concluded the season in which our Church celebrates the world-altering fact that God made His home among men.
And in today’s Gospel, we get a front row seat to that reality. Jesus goes home to Capernaum; He visits the people and places He knew from His childhood. And the people crowd the places to see Him. Perhaps because they wanted to visit with Him; more likely because they had realized that “a great prophet has arisen in our midst, and God has visited his people” (see Alleluia).
Over 2,000 years later, I long for Jesus to find His home in my heart. And this Gospel calls me to think about what kind of home I make for Him.
Will I gather around Him, bringing my friends, family, and neighbors along to hear the Good News He preaches? Will I approach Him vulnerably in my weakness, asking Him to do the impossible in my life? Will I stop at nothing to be next to Him? Will I doubt Him? Will I grumble against Him when I do not understand? Will I accept His forgiveness and convert more deeply to His Truth? Will I rise because of His presence in my soul? Will I live in astonishment, in the glory of God, proclaiming that I have never seen anything like this (see Gospel)?
Jesus made His home among us, and through our Baptism, He dwells in our souls when we are in the state of grace. What kind of home will He find there?
Let’s make our hearts places of confidence, attentiveness, joy, presence, faith, persistence, and openness. Give Jesus the prominent seat in your heart, sit at His Feet, listen to His Word, and watch Him work miracles.
Sister, God is among us. We’ve never seen anything like this.
[bctt tweet="Give Jesus the prominent seat in your heart. // @to_the_heights" username="blessedisshe__"]
We hope you are enjoying our Christmas season book, Emmanuel: A Christmas Feast Devotional. It's not too late to start!
Olivia Spears lives in Kentucky, where sweet tea and bourbon flow like milk and honey. She holds degrees in Theology and Catechetics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and works from home while enjoying her children and husband. She curates relevant and inspiring content for Catholic women as Blog Manager. She is the narrator of Set a Fire, And Hay Became Holy, and All She Had as well as a contributing author for Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
