Ostium Catholic

For which of my good works are you stoning me? It's the most heartbreaking question Jesus asks. He's done nothing but heal, teach, and love. And they want to kill him.

Their answer is honest: not for a good work. For blasphemy. You're making yourself God. They don't deny his works. They just can't accept his identity.

Jesus offers one last appeal: even if you can't believe me, believe the works. Look at the evidence. But they try to arrest him instead.

Then Jesus retreats. He goes back across the Jordan to where John first baptized - back to the beginning. And in that quiet place, many believed. Not in Jerusalem, where the power was. In the wilderness, where the Baptist prepared the way.

Two things for your twenties. First: doing good will sometimes get you stoned. The better you live, the more uncomfortable you make people who've chosen differently. Don't be shocked by this. Be prepared.

Second: sometimes you need to retreat to where it all began. When the stones are flying and the hostility is thick, go back to your Jordan - the place where your faith started, the moment that grounded you. Reconnect. Many will find you there.