We Can Know Jesus - Season of Joy

Beloved:

See what love the Father has bestowed on us

that we may be called the children of God.

Yet so we are.

The reason the world does not know us

is that it did not know him.

I remember looking through family photo albums when I was a kid, seeing pictures of my dad when he was little, my grandfather when he was little. You know, there's something kind of startling about that, right? My gosh, my dad was a little kid just like me. You know, my grandpa, the photos were in black and white, so I knew that was a long time ago. But I could see the resemblance; their eyes, their haircuts, you know, they looked a little bit like me and my boy cousins. Then jumping ahead a couple of years, also this experience, being in high school... Went to a big all boys Jesuit high school, you know, being a freshman there first year, right? I'm skinny. I'm nervous. I see these big seniors. You know, some of them have on the letterman jackets in the hallways. They're talking to each other. You know I’m getting a sense, gosh, some of these guys are smart, friendly, you know, help out the freshmen, others ignore us, make fun of us.

You know, when we're young and when we're older, we keep asking that question, don't we? Who am I? Who do I want to be? And of course, we're always looking around for guidance, for models. You know, my dad, okay, he was young, like me. He's now big. He's an adult. My grandpa, he's a grown man. You know these teenagers who are a little older than me. As Christians, we see Jesus, we want to come to know him. And we trust that knowing him will help us to know ourselves. Knowing him, we're going to become who he wants us to be.

This week, in the first letter of Saint John, at Mass, we'll hear that we are God's children. He tells us, beloved, we are God's children now. What we shall be has not yet been revealed. You know just that, right? We are God's children, okay? God, our Father knows us, loves us. Well, who's another child of God? Well, Jesus is the Eternal Son. And in the Gospels, we see Jesus. He's a model for us, also that we can actually know him. You know, he's not like a pro athlete on TV where it's just kind of a one way relationship, right? We just sort of watch him. But, he's never going to get to know us. No, Jesus is different. We can know him in prayer. He knows us. He can speak to us through the Scriptures, in our faith, through the Sacraments.

So we are God's children; Jesus is the Eternal Son. Saint John continues, we do know that when it is revealed, we shall be like him. You know just that little line, “When it is revealed.” Well, what's revealed? Well, God's plan for us. So we look at Jesus, who is risen, who is glorified. This is the Easter season, of course. We look at him, we see this is what the father wants for us: to be with Him in heaven. Yes, we pray, we trust, that on the last day even our bodies will be raised in glory. So we're looking at Jesus, we're seeing where the father wants to lead us as well. We also see where we are now, right? And we're a long way away from that. Me as a nine year old: I look at these adults around me, these big, strong guys; my father, a construction worker, my grandpa, okay, good golfer, loving provider for the family. I can see well, gosh, I have a long way to go, don't I?

But again, with the Lord, okay, we're not just doing this on our own. Christ is with us. Jesus is showing us. He is revealing himself to us. He is shaping our hearts. Mother Mary, also a child of God, she who is a beloved daughter of the father, mother of Jesus. You know she too models for us what's possible, right, when our heart is truly united with the Lord. We see Mary, this model of compassion, mercy, closeness to her son. One more time that line, “Beloved, we are God's children now. What we shall be has not yet been revealed. We know that when it is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

Dear friends, Jesus gives us a model. Jesus shows us what's possible. He shows us what our lives can look like when we're united with the Father. And Jesus is a friend walking with us, nourishing us in the Eucharist with His Body and blood. In this Easter season, we celebrate his glory. We ask him, Lord Jesus, make our hearts more like your Sacred Heart.