Beautiful surprises

So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” As he was saying these things, many believed in him. (John 8: 21-30)

Although Jesus often refers to Himself by the name of God, the adversaries do not even consider the hypothesis that He is of divine nature and, above all, that their will may be incompatible with God's Will. It is this misconception which makes them praise themselves, that ends up condemning them. This is so because man cannot find in himself the meaning of life and his own happiness. Hence, they are shut themselves off from the beautiful surprises that God has placed in their lives. Man is created in the image of God and during his earthly life is called to become more and more like Him by meekly modelling his own will on God's Will. Lord, help us to be humble of heart in order to praise You and not ourselves.