As an adult convert to Catholicism, I can relate to the religious leaders who question Jesus in today’s Gospel reading. A few verses prior, they plead, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
Jesus responds that he has already told them the answer through his works. I, too, have a hard time seeing God’s work. I’m socialized to believe that God’s work should conform to my human worldview—that good people are rewarded, bad people are punished, and we receive the love we have worked hard to earn. But when God seemingly ignores scarcity and human judgment, it’s easy to decide that what we see must not be God’s work at all.
I am learning that sometimes God’s work feels counter to my visions of success or happiness. God’s work is to draw me closer to God, and thereby closer to my truest self, and sometimes that has come from facing unemployment, interpersonal conflict, loss of friendships, and powerlessness. I have turned to God in anger and disbelief at these circumstances, only to hear Jesus speak to me exactly as he does to the religious leaders: “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” I try to remember that I am called to look again, discover how I am moving toward God, and do my best to “believe the works.”
