deep knee bends?
"Who can this be that the wind and the sea obey Him?" —Mark 4:41
The wind and sea obey Jesus. Demons and diseases obey Jesus (see Mk 5:13, 29). Even death obeys Jesus (Mk 4:41ff). Every knee must bend and acknowledge Jesus as Lord (Phil 2:10-11), and a number of knees have already bent — but not those of many human beings.
We all realize that many people do not obey Jesus. Before we call these people to repentance, however, we must repent ourselves (Mt 7:5). Yet due to the blinding effect of sin, we may not know that we need to repent. We need the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins (Jn 16:8). We need a prophet like Nathan to look each of us in the eyes and say: "You are the man!" (2 Sm 12:7)
Do you want to be holy and pleasing to the Lord? If so, you want to be convicted of your sins. You want to repent and celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Then you will join most of creation and bend your knee in obedience to Jesus.
Prayer: Father, convict me of my sins now.
Promise: Jesus "awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea: 'Quiet! Be still!' The wind fell off and everything grew calm." —Mk 4:39
Praise: John spent his life discipling youth. He also taught them job-related skills, ministering to all phases of their life and enabling them to succeed both in the world and in the Spirit.
Reference: (For related teaching, order our leaflet, The Secret of Confession.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Ralph J. Lawrence, June 1, 1997
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, June 9, 1997