Friday of the 18th week in ordinary time

Deuteronomy 4: 32-40       Mathew 16: 24-28

Theme: In the cross is our victory

Today the church celebrates the Memorial of St. Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Dominicans, also known as the order of preachers. In the gospel reading of today from St. Mathew, Jesus points out to his followers the centrality of the cross in our call to discipleship. He made it very clear that we must carry our cross daily and follow him. By implication, in the cross is our peace, our victory and our salvation. So, it simply means that we must live our daily lives with the cross of Christ as our focus. This could be referred to as the price we have to pay daily for our call to discipleship. It is a journey of faith that will challenge from time to time, the depth of our faith in God. Sometimes it can bring us pain and discomfort, just like Jesus went through to us salvation.

Dealy beloved in Christ, this should always be a source of hope and strength for us as followers of Christ, when we encounter the challenges and difficulties of life, that tests our faith in God. We must be strong and trust in God, knowing fully well that he is with us and we will also carry our cross on to victory like he did. One thing you must always know at such moments is the fact that God will never fail or desert you at such a time, and because he is with you, victory is sure. This resonates with the assertion of Jesus in his statement that, ‘whoever loses his life for my sake will find it’. This is a blessed assurance coming from Jesus himself, and we can rely on it. This is our human reality, and we cannot run away or wish away crosses, they will always come from time to time. But the gospel reading of today should always give us the strength and courage to manage the situation.

Taking into consideration the assertion of Jesus, that says, ‘what will it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his life’, we all must reflect on our lifestyle and make amends where necessary. This is a reality that many of us in the world today are not mindful of anymore. We live in a world where human life does not mean much to so many people anymore. Lives are being destroyed through wars and violence all around house, the sacredness of life is no longer taken into consideration by many people. We are all encouraged today to make out time and reflect about the things that truly matters to us. As you do this, may almighty God bless you, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, Amen. Peace be with you.