Reflection 22/The Will to Experience God/Religious Guardians
“I have called upon you to be born again, to be born of the spirit. I have called you out of the darkness of authority and the lethargy of tradition into the transcendent light of the realization of the possibility of making for yourselves the greatest discovery possible for the human soul to make—the supernal experience of finding God for yourself, in yourself, and of yourself, and of doing all this as a fact in your own personal experience. And so may you pass from death to life, from the authority of tradition to the experience of knowing God; thus will you pass from darkness to light, from a racial faith inherited to a personal faith achieved by actual experience; and thereby will you progress from a theology of mind handed down by your ancestors to a true religion of spirit which shall be built up in your souls as an eternal endowment.”
The order came fairly quickly from the outraged authorities in Jerusalem that the synagogues were no longer open for Jesus to speak in throughout Palestine. Knowing the authorities were now bent on rejecting him and worse, they left to go north to Caesarea Phillipi and then west to the coast of Phoenicia and into Gentile lands..
Jesus could sense his apostle’s confusion over his sudden loss of popularity among their people and growing fear of the authorities. They had prided themselves on being close associates of the Messiah, thinking Jesus was certain to overcome his modesty, declare himself the fulfillment of the prophecy and rise to power. Who else could come close? But he continually rejected every opportunity to do so, repeatedly dashing their hopes and now even putting their lives at risk. And yet they had come to believe in him. There was indeed something wholly unworldly about Jesus that showed itself in his unshakeable spiritual poise and uncanny closeness to God.
They’d witnessed too many instances of healing and, though he never seemed impressed by these events, too many miraculous moments. Plus, they loved him. Each one felt he was the best friend they’d ever had. He could see into their hearts—past every doubt and weakness—and love them more than anyone else possibly could.
They were raised to be over-awed by God. But Jesus had shifted their perception, and each man was called upon to reckon with the unfamiliar idea that God lived and worked within them. How could that be? Yet his teaching never varied.
Now, as they traveled across northern Galilee and into Gentile lands, Jesus drew them close, teaching them the difference between the religions of men that authorize ways to think about God and the religion of the spirit, which inspires people to personally connect with this fragment of the living God at work in their minds and hearts--to forge a personal and living relationship by the religion of personal experience.
Reflection
You’d returned to work after that Sabbath and over the next few weeks heard more and more people speaking with contempt about Jesus. They were believing the Pharisees and Sanhedrin who called him insane and disrespectful to God. The authorities had twisted his teaching at Capernaum, saying that Jesus told everyone they’d need to eat his body because he was bread from God or something equally repulsive.
You waited to see him, wanting to give him time alone with his apostles and remaining disciples. Finally, you headed over to where they were staying and found they’d left. There was no word as to where they’d gone but you had a chance to speak to one of the disciples who’d stayed behind.
He said that Peter told him they were silent walking back from the synagogue after Jesus gave his sermon. Jesus walked ahead of them and they followed behind, miserable with fear and disappointment. And when they got home, he went into the upper chamber, refusing food for hours until finally coming down and asking them why they were surprised by these events? Didn’t they know they’d lose these half-hearted followers?
Where was their faith? Would they desert him now, too?
Peter spoke first and declared his loyalty, saying he would never forsake him and each man nodded in agreement. They left within a few weeks, feeling increasing pressure by both Roman and Jewish authorities. Herod was being actively pressured by the Sanhedrin to arrest him and the Romans were prone to keeping the authorities in Jerusalem happy--as they didn’t want trouble from them. They left religious issues, like blasphemy, for the Jews to deal with among themselves.
CHILDREN RESPONSE AFTER REFLECTION
During this first week of holidays, the children were given an opportunity to slow down from their usual school activities and spend meaningful time thinking about God, faith, and their own personal experiences.
The children were invited to think about what it means to personally know God, to feel His presence in their lives, and to develop a relationship with Him through their own experiences. We talked about how people can sometimes follow traditions or the opinions of others without taking time to ask what they themselves truly believe.
Each child was then given the freedom to respond in their own way. whether it was about courage, faith, friendship, fear, trusting God, being different, or discovering God within themselves
CHILDREN RESPONSE AFTER REFLECTION
Mark
For me, the part that stood out most was how the disciples continued following Jesus even when things became difficult. They expected people to accept him and they expected him to become powerful. But instead, people started rejecting him.
I think sometimes we also expect that when we are doing something good, everyone will support us. But that is not always true. Sometimes people misunderstand what we are doing or listen to people who speak against us.
What I learned is that faith is also tested when things do not go the way we expected. It is easy to say we believe when everything is good. It is harder when we are confused or disappointed.
Jerimiah
I think we can also have ideas about how our lives should go. Sometimes we want things to happen quickly, and when they do not, we wonder whether God is still with us.This reflection taught me that knowing God is not only about hearing other people talk about Him. We should also allow ourselves to experience Him through our own lives.
Shalom
The thing I found powerful was that Jesus loved his disciples even though he knew their weaknesses. They were afraid and confused, but he did not stop loving them.
It reminds us about how important love is when someone is struggling. Sometimes a person does not need someone to judge them. They need someone who can understand them.
Flowrence:
I learned that we should not make every decision simply because of what the crowd says. We need to think carefully and listen to our own understanding.The reflection also reminded me that faith requires courage, If we only believe when everybody agrees with us, then our faith has not really become personal.
Kyatwike:
What touched me was the difference between being told about God and personally experiencing God.
I think there is a difference between saying, “God exists because somebody told me,” and saying, “I have experienced God's love, guidance, peace, or presence in my own life.”
Desilanta
I was touched by how the disciples were afraid of what could happen to them. They knew that following Jesus could now bring danger.Sometimes fear can make us want to leave something we believe in. When things become difficult, we can start asking whether it is worth continuing.
Salima
For me, the biggest lesson was that God should not only be something we learn about from other people. God should become personal to us.
Victor
The friendship between Jesus and his disciples stood out to me.That made me think about what a true relationship with God can look like. We may sometimes feel that God is far away or that we are not good enough to come close to Him.
I think personal faith begins when we stop seeing God only as someone we hear about and begin trusting Him personally.
Francis
I focused on the disappointment of the disciples ,It reminded us that sometimes we can have a picture of how God should answer our prayers.in most cases we think that if God is with us, everything should happen according to our plans.
The disciples had to learn that Jesus was not going to become what they expected him to be. They had to change their understanding.
Rihana
The lesson for me is not to allow other people's opinions to completely determine who I am.At the same time, we should remain humble enough to listen and examine ourselves.
Benjamin
I liked the part where Jesus asked the disciples whether they would also leave him.
Erizeth:Many things in our lives are given to us before we can choose them. We inherit language, culture, family traditions, and beliefs.There is nothing wrong with learning from those who came before us. But eventually, we need to ask ourselves what we personally believe and why.
I think that is what growing up also means.
Christopher:When Jesus was popular, they were proud to be associated with him. But when people began rejecting him, they became afraid.It is easy to support someone when everybody supports them If I believe something only because other people believe it, then my belief can disappear when the crowd changes.
Each response was different because each child is different. And that difference itself became part of the lesson: God can speak to different hearts through the same words, but each person may experience and understand that journey in their own unique way.
