Spend some time today, meditating if you are full of joy for the presence of the Lord and his words

The large crowd listened to him with joy. Mark 12: 37b

This passage comes from the end of today's gospel. Jesus just taught the crowd and they listened to it "with joy". The teaching of Jesus produced much pleasure in their souls.

This is a common reaction to the teaching and presence of Jesus in our life. The Psalms are full of images like this. "I delight in the Lord." "How sweet your words are." "I delight in your commands." These and many other references reveal one of the effects of Jesus' words and presence in our lives. His word and presence in our lives are extraordinarily pleasant.

This fact raises the question: "Do I delight in the words of Jesus?" Too often we see Christ's words as a burden, a restriction or limitation on what we want in life. For this reason, we can often see God's will as something difficult and burdensome. To tell the truth, if our hearts are rooted in sin or in the pleasures of the world, then the words of our Lord can sting and feel a weight for us. But it is only because we find them in contradiction with the many unhealthy things we have become attached to.

If you find that the Word of God, the words of Jesus, are difficult to hear, then you are starting to walk the right path. You're starting to let His Word "fight", so to speak, with the many other baits and spells that ultimately leave us only dry and empty. This is the first step in order to delight the Lord and his words.

The good news is that if you can allow His Word to cut through the many unhealthy attachments you have in life, you will begin to discover that you love His Word very much and enjoy His presence in your life. You will begin to discover that the pleasure and pleasure that you experience from its presence in your life far exceeds any other attachment or pleasure that you pass. Even sin can produce a false sense of satisfaction. In that case, satisfaction is more like a drug that soon fades away. The delight of the Lord is something that continually takes you higher and satisfies you more deeply every day.

Spend some time today, meditating if you really allow yourself to be full of joy for the presence of the Lord and his words. Try to taste their sweetness. Try to be attracted. Once "hooked", you will look for Him even more.

Lord, I wish to delight you with you. Help me to get away from the many attractions and attractions of this world. Help me always look for you and your word. In the discovery of your Word, fill my soul with the greatest joy. Jesus I believe in you.