When Did I See You...?

⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” ⁵ He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." Acts 9:4-5

These past couple weeks have been the start of Lent and announcement that the 'king' of the Roman Catholic Church is resigning his throne, and a good opportunity for house-cleaning and moral inventory. 

One day, there will be a reckoning, and when Jesus asks us why did we persecute him, will we be able to plead ignorance? Because the king said so, and the king was speaking for God.

Oh, really? Do we honestly believe that? Or do we so want someone telling us what to do, telling us what we did or are doing is okay, that we wanted to believe whatever this person was saying must be right, must be divinely revealed. As long as we defend this person, this position, we're okay.

Reaching down deep, as a Christian is my life driven by the newspaper headline, and by pretty clothes and titles, or by God's will? Because as Jesus said - over and over - we can only serve one Master. Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Et cetera.

Will our excuses for seeking God in a palace made by human hands hold up? When we know better. We have been warned.

"Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me."

While I fully believe in praying to and with saints and that visible images are useful, not if any of these things help me to remain woefully blind, as Saul was, to the things that really matter. To the people that really matter. Not if we start to think for one second that God is like a human ruler who will be flattered by our praise into making special exceptions.

When it just ain't like that. As I know perfectly well. God does not even make exceptions for Himself, let alone for us, not because God wants to be hard on us, but because He knows we can do better and wants all the best that life has to offer, for all of us, including me, and including 'the least of these.'

Forever. For all eternity. Really. He means it.