Friday of the 6th week in the ordinary time year 2
Theme: In the cross is our victory
The death of Jesus on the cross, gave a new meaning to it. He could have chosen any other means to bring us salvation, but he chose the cross. In the cross is our salvation, our victory and our peace. Jesus in today’s gospel emphasizes the power in the cross. We must be ready to take up our cross daily and follow the Lord. Denying ourselves and comfort for the sake of the kingdom will win us the victory of salvation. Humanly speaking, most people are not comfortable with the challenges that go with the cross. However, the assertion of Jesus in the gospel should be a source of great strength for us, whenever we find ourselves carrying one cross or the other as a result of our call to discipleship. Another thing that is worthy of note is the fact that God will never desert us at such a moment. He will never allow the cross to overwhelm us. Just like he carried his cross unto victory; so also we will carry ours unto victory. We need prayer, patience and perseverance to face such a situation and victory will be ours. If we truly want to save our life, then we must be ready to carry our cross daily and follow God. This entails a strong faith, so that we don’t end up complaining about the situation we have found ourselves.
Just like St. James tells us in the 1st reading, faith without works is dead. Our faith must be backed up at all times with action, if we truly want to reap the eternal fruit of our call to discipleship at the end of our earthly sojourn. Dearly beloved in Christ, St. James is encouraging us today to show our faith with our good works in our daily life. By implication, going to church every day must be backed up with putting into practice the word of God that we preach and listen to at different times in our life. This is a call to action for all of us as children of God, if we truly desire to make heaven. Our ability to take up our cross daily and follow God is a good harmony of faith and work. May God grant us the grace to match our faith with good works at all times. Peace be with you.