Community Word: Christ’s sacrificial love leads us to eternal life
Order: “Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” (Col 3:2)
Reflection:
Our Community Word for the month is – Christ’s sacrificial love leads us to eternal life. Jesus died on the cross to redeem mankind and bring us to eternal glory in heaven. St. Paul explains that eternal life comes as a result of God’s grace (cf. Eph 2:8-9). It is His gift freely imparted to us, unearned and underserved on our part. But while it is a gift, Jesus also said: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven,” (Mt 7:21). Accepting Jesus as our Savior and receiving eternal life is not merely a mental acceptance or comforting thought. One must demonstrate his faith by obediently doing the will of God. What is God’s will? These are found in the Holy Scripture and in the teachings of the Gospel of Christ.
During this month, we go thru the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, and as we do, let us reflect on our Community Word thru the weekly readings of the word.
For the 5th Sunday of Lent, the theme is: We live Christ’s sacrificial love when we repent of our sins and commit to renew our life. We receive God’s forgiveness when we repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus who is our Salvation. Then all our sins are forgiven forever because Jesus died to pay the penalty for all our sins; and once they are forgiven, they are all forgiven (cf. Col 1:14, Acts 10:43). But when we stumble and sin again, we should go to confession because if we acknowledge our sins, Jesus “is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing,” (1Jn 1:19). A Christian life is not to be identified by a life of sin. A Christian should live a changed life, he is a new creation (cf. 2Cor 5:17), he is filled by the Holy Spirit in producing good fruit (cf. Gal 5:22-23). While there is forgiveness, Christians should live a progressively holier life as they grow closer to Christ. When we rise above our sinfulness, we will receive His promise: “Those who sow in tears shall reap rejoicing,” (Ps 126:5)
The theme for Palm Sunday is: We live Christ’s sacrificial love when we are obedient to the will of God. We are saved from sin and death by the act of Jesus in obedience to the Father. And as His followers, we are also called to listen to God’s counsel through His word and heed His message. As we go through life fulfilling the purpose to know, love and serve God, it is important to have a discerning heart so that we can listen intently to God, to what He is telling us to do. Do we live out our promise to God and to one another as married couples, as parents, as individuals, as members of the community? The Lord speaks to us every day in our prayers, in the events that unfold before us, in the people that we encounter in our life. We should not ignore God’s message to us because in doing so we will not be able to live our life in accordance with His will and plan. Doing God’s will is good and brings us joy even in the face of challenges and difficulties. This is God’s promise to those who follow His will: “The Lord God is my help…I shall not be put to shame,” (Is 50:7).
We live Christ’s sacrificial love when we believe in the power of the resurrection, is the theme for Easter Sunday. Jesus Christ teaches us that His resurrection is the power of God unto salvation. If Jesus was not risen from the dead, His own sacrificial death would not mean anything. To gain our salvation, we have to come to Jesus, repent and forsake sin. This entails believing in our Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and committing our life to Him. Through the Holy Spirit whom He sent, we are empowered to love and forgive others, even our enemies. Jesus is in heaven interceding for mankind and preparing a place for the faithful (cf. Jn 14:2-3). Someday, He will return to judge the world. He will separate the faithful followers from those who lived in selfish unbelief and He will receive all the faithful into His heavenly kingdom for this is His promise: “When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory,” (Col 3:4). Are you experiencing the power of the resurrection in your renewed life today?
Finally, for the 2nd Sunday of Easter, the theme is: We live Christ’s sacrificial love when we acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus is God’s only Begotten Son and because of His divine nature, He possesses the power to overcome death and live forever. He offered Himself willingly as commanded by the Father (cf. Jn 10:17-18). His role as the sacrificial Lamb is His most important role in God’s divine plan of salvation.He saves us through our repentance, His forgiveness and the promise of resurrection on the last day. Because of this, Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior who, by His redeeming atonement, will raise us up and judge us for eternal life (cf. Mt 25:31-34).
St. Paul tells us, “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,” (Rom 10:9). Salvation is attained now in the same way as it was then: we must have faith in Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, be baptized in His name, receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and remain steadfast in keeping God’s commandments. In this way, we gain eternal life. Christ is our Redeemer, “the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,” (Heb 5:9). And in response to our faith, we are assured of the Lord’s promise: “…I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and through this belief you may have life in his name,” (Jn 20:31).
Our Order for the month comes from St. Paul: “Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” (Col 3:2).
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,in glorifying Jesusand sending us your Spirit, You opened the way for us to eternal life. As we share in your gift of salvation, may our love increase more and our faith even stronger. By You grace, cleanse our lives so that as we offer ourselves in the Holy Mass, we may be pleasing in Your sight. May our reception of Jesus, our Bread of Life, in the Holy Eucharist bring us to eternal life. Amen.
