21 February 2014
Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Both readings today contain a tough message and both are complementary. In the Gospel Christ tells me it is not enough to confess belief in him, the crucified and resurrected Son of God. I must follow the path he forged on the way to the Father, namely to loose my life in order to find it. Significantly, Jesus addresses these words to the whole assembled crowd, not to his chosen twelve alone.
So, these words apply to all of his followers today. James picks up on Jesus’ teaching. His message is that wearing a crucifix around my neck and having a rosary hanging from the rear-view mirror of my car will mean nothing on the day when I have to give an account to him of my life. Actions, Sweetheart – that’s what counts, not words.
So, what I must reflect upon each day, each hour of the day is this: My faith in Christ, crucified, dead and resurrected is vain unless it is translated in acts and in concrete options taken. What a challenge I face, surrounded as I am by cries not to be “hateful”, but reasonable, non-judgmental, open-minded to the ways of the secular society in which I live.