You are enough

Gospel: Jn 5:31-47
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031424.cfm

With social media, we can get obsessed with looking for praise and recognition from others. We can have negative feelings driven by a lack of likes, views, and followers. We feel hurt when we experience strangers disagreeing with us online. We get disappointed by things people share online that are intended to drive reactions.

When we think about God, we can feel judged. We carry the baggage of shame and we associate it with God. It is as if God exists to condemn us. The shame you feel though is not God; it is something that makes you feel that you are not deserving of God’s love. It separates you from God. In the story of Adam and Eve, we see how their sense of shame made them afraid of God. Their sense of shame separated them from God.

The gospels are loaded with stories of the reconciling love of God. We hear about the shepherd’s joy in finding the lost sheep and the father’s celebration when reconciling with his son. God loves us and accepts us unconditionally. It is our own choice to separate from God. Regardless of the situation or what we’ve done, we always have the opportunity to turn to God. When we do, we are good enough. God doesn’t keep count of all the times we have turned our back; God is always wanting reconciliation and persistently desires a relationship with us.

In today’s gospel (John 5:44), we read: “How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?”

You are loved and you are more than enough.