Rev. Daniel E. Pilarczyk

Jesus liberates us and makes us God’s children. And if the Father of Jesus is our father, nothing can enslave us.

When all is said and done, Jesus means life or death, salvation or destruction. Our acceptance or rejection of Jesus is what determines the meaning and value of our lives.

We all need God’s mercy for ourselves and for the community in which we live. Harsh and pitiless application of the law is not the way God works.

The world in which we live doesn’t want much to do with Jesus. He makes people uncomfortable. His demands seem dangerously excessive. What do I make of Jesus?

Today’s psalm reading speaks of God’s care for the brokenhearted. The Lord saves those who are crushed in spirit. God watches over the just. The sufferings of God’s servants are always of concern to him.

Testimony to the authenticity of Jesus’ ministry is provided by the works that Jesus performs in the lives of individual Christians, as well as through the manifold action of the Church. There are plenty of grounds for believing in Jesus.

In these verses Jesus pronounces himself to be the standard and source of godliness and of life. Jesus says that accepting his words is the key to eternal life. To the extent that we are in touch with him, we live.