By the Faithful Disciple
GROW AS A DISCIPLE
I know people who read the ending of a book before they are finished with it. I could never do that! I have to follow the story in every detail until the final page. When it comes to the story of our salvation history, however, we get to do a little of both: we know the end of the story in terms of Revelation and God’s desire for us to live with Him in eternity, and we know of the heavenly kingdom to which we have been invited and in which we will live. What we don’t know is all the details that get us to our own, individual, final page in the great drama of our response to the gift of salvation. In the first reading today, we hear the story of the fall of humankind – about how our earliest parents rejected God’s command and gave into temptation. However, the story doesn’t end there. Adam and Eve may have been sent out of the Garden of Eden, but God didn’t give up on them – or us. Instead, He sent a long line of prophets who paved the way for His Son, Jesus. With Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, the gates of heaven were opened so all have the opportunity to accept the gift of salvation. As St. Paul writes in his Letter to the Corinthians, we can know “that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus.”
GO EVANGELIZE
Paul’s words give us great hope and encouragement, for we all know that living as God commands can be difficult. We are assured, however, that grace and strength are ours if we only ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. As Christians, we are part of the body of Christ and a community of believers. In today’s Gospel, Jesus notes that a house divided against itself cannot stand. That’s a reminder that we are all in this together. We need one another – and the grace of God – to bring us to everlasting life in heaven. In the Gospel Jesus asked, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And we heard the answer: those who do the will of God. Let us open our hearts today to receive the promptings and grace of God, so we may follow Him to the best of our ability each day. The story of salvation is our story, and we know what the ending is meant to be.
PRAY
As members of the body of Christ, perhaps there are ways this week we could be praying alongside our brothers and sisters in our church or community. In addition to Mass, consider Eucharistic Adoration or a prayer group. Reflect on how God might be nudging your heart