Our Primary Influence

So many people influence us. There is no such thing as a ‘self-made’ person. All those who have helped us, cared for us, encouraged us in the past and in the present influence us in the future. We have always been influenced by different people. News, media, movies and powerful people always influence us. Those influences shape our character.

St. Peter and all the other apostles were influenced by Jesus. The interesting part in influencing others is that our influence will in turn influence somebody else. The more spiritually influenced we are, our friends and family respond to that influence. If it is a negative the influence it passes the negative energy to others. Through the word and sacrament Jesus influences us daily. From our part we need to influence others with the same spirit.

St. Peter took Jesus home so that his mother-in-law experiences the power of Jesus. This influence continues to spread far and wide as long as this is the primary influence in our hearts and minds. In order to take Jesus to the people we meet, Jesus must remain our primary influence in us. If we do not let ourselves dwell in the primary influence, the unwanted influences haunt us and abuse us even to the point of negating the primary influence. Let us pray that we be loyal to our commitment and take Jesus to others through our word and deed. Amen.