Jesus came to turn the world upside down and inside out.
Our society rewards and promotes people who are “first”—the people who are educated, powerful, wealthy, respected, or religiously privileged. However, Jesus warns us that our status and our heritage are not enough to secure our place with God.
God’s Kingdom works differently. Jesus came to demonstrate how we can upend social and religious expectations. Jesus blessed the poor, hungry, and mournful. He ate with sinners and tax collectors, shocking the respectable. He redefined greatness.
The invitation here is not only to examine our external roles and responsibilities carefully, but also to undergo a change of heart. We are invited to a
radical openness that allows for an inner transformation of love, humility, and trust in God.
Intellectually, we know all this. It’s the recurring message of discipleship. But how do I live this every day? How do I value what God values, and not what the world values? I was pondering these questions driving home the other day. How do I respond to the dirty, shabby beggar at the traffic lights? What can I do about the poor,
crippled, homeless person urinating on the curb at a busy intersection? What is my response to the refugee woman seeking shelter for herself and her children from an abusive relationship? How does what is happening in Gaza impact me?
What upside-down, inside-out transformation am I being invited to?
Where and how could I see God in the other?
Reflections by Ursula van Nierop
