Apparent acceptance

Jesus said to his disciples: “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6: 43-49)

If we accept Jesus only in an apparent way, then the trials and persecutions we undergo - useless to God yet necessary for us to understand the depth of our faith - will sweep away all our good, purely human intentions. This is so because our trials can only be overcome by our willingness to love and trust our Lord, even before we understand Him. For example, Mary and Joseph cooperated in God's plans by overcoming all sorts of difficulties. When a divine messenger came to reveal God’s plan for them, they obeyed their desire to love the Lord before understanding where it would lead them. Lord, help us to increase a sincere faith in ourselves, so that we can always do Your will.