Commentary on the Gospel of
Everyone Needs a Guru
God called boy Samuel by name. But Samuel had no idea it was God who was calling him. He needed the spiritual wisdom and discernment of an elder—Eli—to help him recognize God’s call and respond to. Everyone needs a guru. Even Jesus. We find Jesus working throughout the day, but then spending the night or early morning all alone in prayer, in conversation with his Father. Such daily bread of discernment helps him remain focused and not be swept away by people’s adulation born out of needy love. Hence, when the disciples tell him that everyone was looking for him, Jesus tells that he has to move on, to other people and places. With all his compassion and love for people, Jesus is not emotionally enslaved to them. His capacity for healthy detachment comes from the discernment born of daily consultation with his Guru—God the Father. Who is your Guru?
