The Lord makes it clear that unless we take up our Cross we cannot be his disciples. Christ – who was victorious over his Cross – will give us the grace we need to face our own.
Mass Readings – 23rd Sunday of the Year
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Tag Archives: Cross
23rd Sunday of the Year: Take up your cross.
Study: Reflect on a truly difficult time in your life. Where did you find the strength to continue?
Pray: Is there a challenging situation in your life right now? Ask the Lord for grace and wisdom.
Serve: How can you help someone in a tight spot today? How can you help them carry their cross?
Mass Readings – 23rd Sunday of the Year
There is a sobering element in the readings this week that focuses on the cost of discipleship. We commonly speak of “carrying the Cross” as a way of understanding how our sacrifices and burdens become transformed when we participate in the Cross of Christ.
The first reading from the book of Wisdom reminds us that our mortal natures cannot fathom the breadth and depth of God’s plan. We rely on the Lord, and we trust that through the power of the Holy Spirit God reveals the path of our lives – and provides us with the strength for the journey.
The psalm response “In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge” helps us understand that when times get tough we turn to Jesus. He is the source of our strength, and with his grace we find a safe place from which we can prepare our hearts for the demands of the day.
Paul’s letter to Philemon touches upon our human weakness. Paul, imprisoned for his faith, is sending back a runaway slave (Onesimus) to his master – urging Philemon to accept his former servant with kindness as a brother in the Lord. Paul, Onesimus, and Philemon must all trust in the Lord for the strength to do what is right, even when it is difficult.
Finally, the Gospel speaks bluntly about the cost of discipleship. The price might be our family, our relationships, our possessions…yet through it all the Lord affirms that his grace empowers us to carry our Cross. For indeed, we all have crosses, and we can face them with hope – knowing that the Lord, who carried his Cross, will help us with our own.
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Note: This post was first published on August 29, 2019.
Good Friday. Catholic Inspiration
Today the world stands silent at the foot of the Cross. Only the unconditional love of God could remedy human sin, and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ gives us hope for eternal life.
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Daily Mass: Service and suffering out of love for Christ. Catholic Inspiration
The Lord offers us a profound insight into the path of discipleship: through suffering and service we conform our lives to Christ as we pour out our lives in love for one another.
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Lent
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2nd Sunday of Lent: Consoled and challenged by the Transfiguration. Catholic Inspiration
The Transfiguration of Jesus reveals the Lord’s divine glory and majesty in the presence of Peter, James and John. This glory offers us the consolation of hope in eternal life, while at the same time challenging us to carry our crosses as we follow the example of Christ.
Mass Readings – 2nd Sunday of Lent
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Daily Mass: Transfigured glory before the Cross of Christ. Catholic Inspiration
Jesus is transfigured in heavenly glory before some of the disciples, and then he reminds them of the suffering and death that await him on the Cross. Both of these elements help us to understand how we confront the grim challenges of life with a real and powerful hope.
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 6th Week of the Year
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Daily Mass: The Messiah suffers for our sins. Catholic Inspiration
The Lord speaks of a sober reality in the Gospel today: both he and John the Baptist will suffer. It’s a powerful reminder that Christ came for us…our sins, our weaknesses, our wounds…and he offers his life that we might be reunited with God.
Saturday of the 2nd Week of Advent
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Photo credit: Jesus of Nazareth, 1977.
