Clinging Correctly to Jesus
By Amanda Hudson
“Stop holding onto me,” says Jesus to an ecstatic Mary Magdalene in St. John’s Gospel account of the happenings after Jesus’ resurrection.
Honoring her loving joy at finding Him alive, Jesus likely gave that command with kindness, gently pushing Mary Magdalene out to arm’s length as she strove to temper her barely-controlled enthusiasm.
He does the same with us today.
Hopefully we all have had moments here and there over the years when Jesus felt near to us in an almost tangible way. Or perhaps we’ve experienced a circumstance that we suddenly are certain is not circumstantial but assuredly was God-directed for our benefit.
In heaven, we’ll be blessed with having a known, uninterrupted connection to the God who loves us beyond all imagining. But here on earth, Jesus tells us in varying ways not to hold onto experiences that might be called touches of God.
We hear for example from saints who tell us that serving God is more of a day-to-day, often ordinary walk rather than a series of mountaintop moments. Such peaks are meant to help us keep going, reminding us with clarity that being with God in heaven is worth a lifetime of sacrifices and efforts to grow in holiness.
But we must take care to not lose sight of that heavenly goal, because our earthly moments of happiness and satisfaction in faith and in life can be a tempting substitute.
A quest for religious experiences can turn into something of an addiction, for example. There are folks who bounce from church to church, seeking to be fed sweet treats each week, such as incredible music and social connections. As soon as they hear of something that sounds better, off they go.
Some might find themselves going to retreat after retreat in a similar quest. Still others become enamored with particular personalities within their religious realm.
In all that it is terribly easy to lose sight of the goal of heaven and the narrow path leading there.
That path, you might say, is the all-in love that Christ demonstrated throughout His life. Love of a shallow depth eventually evaporates. That gradual loss of love can happen whether it is love of another person, of the Church or of Jesus, His Father and their Spirit.
Love needs to run deep in order to withstand the challenges that inevitably come in spiritual journeys, which after all are tied into the ups and downs of life itself. Such love is sacrificial — a practice of self-sacrifice that builds strength, fortitude, perseverance and the ability to do what we don’t want to do and to go where we don’t want to go — simply in order to do God’s will.
Although Lent is a natural time to practice the sacrifices inherent to giving something up or to doing something extra, such practices are useful for our spiritual lives any time of the year. Whatever we can do without attracting attention that will boost our deliberate actions to show our love for Jesus is helpful.
That might include something as simple as ordering something on the menu we don’t particularly want — just to take a step back from our attachment to favorite foods and make a bit more room for God inside.
Or we may decide that now is the time to tackle a “biggie” — like beginning the work of forgiving someone who continues to be a huge thorn in our side.
Either approach can help us learn to make it a priority to serve the Lord instead of ourselves.
It sounds like a contradiction to say that we need to cling to Jesus through thick and thin, without holding tightly onto Him. But we can be certain that when she released her grip, Mary Magdalene did not forget Jesus or love Him any less. Letting go, she was able to follow His instructions. By doing what He wanted instead of what she wanted, Mary Magdalene became someone who at times is called “the apostle to the Apostles.”
We can follow her lead.