Today’s Gospel Text: Jesus said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high." 50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God. Luke 24:46-53
Reflection: The key words in the first 2 verses speak of the necessity of Christ to suffer, his rising from the dead, offer of repentance and forgiveness in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Jesus presents this necessity of suffering as a fulfillment of the Old Testament requirement.
It is also a clear message for generations that Christ's suffering was never going to be an option to chose from. It was a covenantal assurance by God through the Old Testament prophets, who felt it necessary that his Son had to suffer to prove his love for us, sealed with his precious blood.
This was not something that God planned just a few days or few years before in the Old Testament but it was a plan set forth at the beginning of creation and assured to us at the fall of the first man Adam.
The consequence of that sin of Adam is a tremendous evil whose repercussion and effect we still see in our world and manifest in every aspect of our life.
Our ignorance, our confusion, our constant search for meaning and truth are only preliminary fallouts of the effect of sin.
The deeper is manifested by the suffering and pain that we experience and see in a world that is caught up in lofty ideologies and visions for our liberation.
Christ Jesus and his suffering is a proof for all eternity of the terrible effects of sin and how it blinds us to the truth of God and his wonderful saving plan for humanity.
Just as they rejected him and what is worse, tortured him with the most miserable death in the history of mankind, similarly we too reject him even in our day each time we reject to listen to him or acknowledge him.
Prayer: Lord in your suffering and death we see wisdom manifested, help us to meditate on your sufferings that we may grow wise in your ways.
DD = Dedicated Discipleship: Come grow in the Lord with us
Reflection: The key words in the first 2 verses speak of the necessity of Christ to suffer, his rising from the dead, offer of repentance and forgiveness in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Jesus presents this necessity of suffering as a fulfillment of the Old Testament requirement.
It is also a clear message for generations that Christ's suffering was never going to be an option to chose from. It was a covenantal assurance by God through the Old Testament prophets, who felt it necessary that his Son had to suffer to prove his love for us, sealed with his precious blood.
This was not something that God planned just a few days or few years before in the Old Testament but it was a plan set forth at the beginning of creation and assured to us at the fall of the first man Adam.
The consequence of that sin of Adam is a tremendous evil whose repercussion and effect we still see in our world and manifest in every aspect of our life.
Our ignorance, our confusion, our constant search for meaning and truth are only preliminary fallouts of the effect of sin.
The deeper is manifested by the suffering and pain that we experience and see in a world that is caught up in lofty ideologies and visions for our liberation.
Christ Jesus and his suffering is a proof for all eternity of the terrible effects of sin and how it blinds us to the truth of God and his wonderful saving plan for humanity.
Just as they rejected him and what is worse, tortured him with the most miserable death in the history of mankind, similarly we too reject him even in our day each time we reject to listen to him or acknowledge him.
Prayer: Lord in your suffering and death we see wisdom manifested, help us to meditate on your sufferings that we may grow wise in your ways.
DD = Dedicated Discipleship: Come grow in the Lord with us
No comments:
Post a Comment