HOMILY FOR FRIDAY(09/08/2024), 18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B
{Nah 2:1,3,3:1-3,6-7; Mat 16:24-28}
Indeed, there is more to life than meets the eye. This is so true because the Christian life makes us live above the things of the ordinary. Yes, we may carry out ordinary activities but in an extraordinary way.
From the first reading, even when there are thousand and one times the Israelites will offend God, yes, they will be punished but God will still have compassion on them. This shows the kind of love that God has for his children. In the gospel, after Peter declared Faith in Jesus as God and Messiah, Jesus plainly warned his disciples about his approaching suffering, death, and Resurrection. The apostles needed to be schooled to accept their fate as it unfolded to them. There is this statement “God forbid…..!, This must never happen to me/you!” the question is what if it happens, what are we going to do about it? We are not praying for bad things to happen but what if something happens to us? We truly need to be schooled. For the love Jesus has for his disciples, there is a need to teach his disciples and make them understand what true discipleship is all about. Thus, from the gospel, we hear Jesus pointing out three conditions of discipleship that he expects from his followers. The conditions are:
1) Deny yourself
2) Take up your cross.
3) Follow Me.
"Denying oneself" means cleansing the heart of all bad habits and evil tendencies and evicting the self, with its selfish thoughts and desires from one’s heart. It also means enthroning God in one’s cleansed heart and surrendering one’s life to God’s service by serving others.
"Carrying the cross" means willingly accepting the pain involved in serving others sacrificially. It also means spending our time, talents, wealth, and health for others until it hurts us. Cross-bearing is also our sacrificial sharing of God’s blessings with others. Further, it includes our doing penance to make reparation for our sins and to grow in self-control. Carrying one’s cross becomes easier and more meritorious when we accept life’s crosses as loving gifts given by a loving Father. The comparison of our light crosses with the heavy crosses given to others should make us grateful. Finally, we should carry our crosses, praying for Heavenly strength.
“Follow Me” means the disciple should be ever ready to obey as Jesus directs him or her through his words in the Bible and through the teaching authority he instituted in the Church.
Dear brothers and sisters, as Christians, we must embrace the cross. Our lives must represent what Christianity is all about. A mind where Christ thinks, a heart where Christ lives, a voice where Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps. When we do these, we transform the God-given crosses of our life into the instruments of our salvation by working with the guidance of the Holy Spirit
PAX VOBIS
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,
2 comments:
Nice reflection may God give us the grace to love him as he dose and accept His will for our life.
Amen
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