Prank: Rejecting Him
Why do you think the drivers decided to reject the windshield cleaner man?
- Perhaps some thought that their windshield didn’t need to be cleaned.
- Some figured it would cost them, and they didn’t want to pay the cost.
- Others may have been too anxious about possibly getting a ticket from a police officer and just didn’t want to deal with him.
- Some may have been intimidated by the way the man looked or that he was pushy, and they didn’t want to interact with him.
Were the drivers relieved when the men in suits removed the windshield cleaner man?
- Perhaps for a little bit.
- Yet, when they saw how he was treated, most of them were stunned and horrified.
What similarities do you see between how the drivers and the men in business suits dealt with the windshield cleaner man and how we can tend to deal with meeting Jesus?
- Sometimes we think that we just don’t need Him.
- When we realize it will cost us to follow Jesus, we may reject Him.
- We can be too anxious about our life to be open to Jesus.
- We can be intimidated by the way Jesus looks on the cross and not want to meet Him. (Different from the windshield washer, Jesus is never pushy!)
- Some people reject Jesus completely and throw Him out of their lives.
Can we receive Jesus in the Eucharist and still reject Him? If yes, then how?
- Yes. We can reject Him by not preparing ourselves well for Holy Communion or by being inattentive to Him, when we do receive Him.
- If we receive Jesus in Holy Communion, and we are not in a state of grace, it is a mortal sin; it is a sacrilegious Communion– a great evil.
- St. Cyril, one of the early Church Fathers, said: “They who make a sacrilegious Communion receive satan and Jesus Christ into their hearts: satan, that they may let him rule, and Jesus Christ, that they may offer Him in sacrifice as a Victim to satan.”
- So, it is very important for us to only receive Jesus when we are in a state of grace and to do our best to be attentive to Him.