When We Hold Stones: A Gospel Invitation to Surrender
A Lectio Reflection on Today's Mass Gospel - John 10:31–42
The Gospels are so confrontational. They often challenge the heart more than they comfort it. In today’s reading from John, Jesus is accused of blasphemy—not because of what He did wrong, but because He dared to proclaim His divinity. The Pharisees, unwilling to accept the fullness of His identity, pick up stones to kill Him.
Yet Jesus doesn’t first defend Himself with words. He appeals to His works.
"I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?” (John 10:32)
It’s a question that pulverizes the heart, breaking through defenses and easy answers. And for the one who desires to follow Christ, it raises a deeper examination: In what ways might we deny Christ—not with our words, but with our lives?
There’s a form of denial that isn't loud or defiant, but quiet and subtle. It emerges when faith is compartmentalized—when belief is professed, but life is lived as if Christ were not truly King. This inconsistency is not disbelief, but a dissonance of the heart. It is deeply human, and deeply common.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux once said:
“There are those who seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge—that is curiosity.
There are those who seek knowledge to be known by others—that is vanity.
But there are those who seek knowledge in order to edify—that is charity.”
The same can be said of faith. One may believe that Jesus is Lord, and yet still resist surrendering to His authority. This becomes a kind of spiritual omission—a failure to recognize and respond to the good works Christ is doing in and around us.
To live this way is to hold a quiet stone in the heart.
And yet Jesus doesn’t respond to the stoning with wrath. He offers an invitation: “Look again. Look at the works.” He invites us to see—not just to know about Him, but to recognize Him through the evidence of His goodness in our lives.
For the soul who desires sanctity, the path forward is not merely through effort or understanding, but through surrender. It is not about collecting more theological clarity and knowledge, but about cultivating deeper docility to the Holy Spirit, a daily openness to grace, and a willingness to be led—even through suffering, silence, or uncertainty.
To subordinate oneself to Christ is not about religious performance. It is about surrender—moment by moment—to the One who is already at work. It means letting His works speak louder than our fears.
So yes, the Gospel confronts. But it also invites. And even for those who find themselves, at times, with stones in hand, Jesus does not walk away. He simply says: “Look again. Let the works speak to your heart.”
Please share The Call to Holiness with your family and friends. The purpose of The Call to Holiness is to help each other pray more and to enter into a deeper friendship with Jesus. God bless you all. Lawain
© 2025, Lawain McNeil, Mission Surrender, LLC.