The Disappearing Christ

After reflecting on today’s reading, two things resonated with me: the image of a hardening heart and the call to listen to God. These things immediately brought to my mind a memory that occurred during my oldest daughter's time at Ursuline.

For four years, each morning when I dropped my daughter off early at Ursuline, I would see a beautiful statue of the Risen Christ. It was a daily visual reminder of Him for me. Picking her up at 4:00 pm, however, was a different story. After the hustle and bustle of the day, that beautiful visual reminder of Christ seemed to disappear. When I finally realized that I was not seeing this statue later in the day, I realized that maybe God was becoming less and less a focus of my mind when I allowed the distractions of my day to take over.

Why was God less the focus at 4:00PM than in the early morning hours? Was I turning my back from God, not taking heed or listening to His voice? Was I trying to do things my way? So much like the people in the first reading, I too was not listening to God’s voice. I, too, was allowing the distractions of the day to get in the way.

So this Lenten season my goal is to focus more on keeping God as the center of my life, to bring Him with me throughout my day. I’m pretty sure if I begin to keep Him as my focus I will find more peace even in the craziest of days. But I also know that I am not perfect and will never be perfect. This is where the message from today's reading that our God is gracious and merciful becomes key for me. God's mercy keeps me going with the knowledge that even on the days I forget Him, He has not forgotten me.

Author: Laura O'Neal, Office of Student Life