For centuries, biblical scholars have poured over the words of Jesus. Absorbed their context, meaning, and significance and marveled at their perfection.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus saw a crowd around him and ordered him to cross to the other shore. He was tired and in need of rest and was approached by a scribe who said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” At that moment, this man sincerely and devoutly wanted to follow our Lord no matter where he was going. Jesus, in his tired state, answered, “The Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” In his miracles, Jesus displayed his divinity; in his need for rest, we see the humanity we share – a humanity that allows us to wrap our arms around an infinite God.

But what if Jesus had answered differently?

What if Jesus told the scribe he was going to a small room without windows? Where he would await him, along with generations of the scribe’s children. What if he had not only told him where to follow but that he longed for him to follow? How would he have responded? We should ask the same of ourselves. Jesus invites us to spend time with him in the Eucharist, and he awaits us in the tabernacles of the world, longing for us and our generations of children.

When we encounter the living and present Jesus, everything changes for us. As Saint Peter Julian Eymard said, “Happy is the soul that knows how to find Jesus in the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in all things!”

This promise awaits us – the opportunity to follow and be fully present with Jesus in the Eucharist, making that spirit a part of everything in our lives.

We need not change Jesus’s words – only hear them. Will you?

Let us Pray:

God of Hope, enable us to hear your words and follow your promise.