Are we prepared to take on suffering for the good of another? If not then how can we ever hope to suffer for Jesus’s namesake? We do not all have take on physical suffering but are we at least prepared to put down our ego or prideful ways to walk blameless before the Lord our God? Many parents will gladly endure suffering for their children and likewise many children will gladly endure suffering for their aged parents. If you asked them why? The answer would almost definitely be love. But how does this form of sacrificial love come about?
God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son, who suffered a painful death for us so that liberated from sin we have hope of eternal life with Him. Through His passion, death and resurrection we have salvation. By uniting our sufferings with Christ Jesus our Lord, we too participate in His salvific vision for all. Through Christ we can love as we ought to. We never suffer alone, for He is with us through it all. He gives us such comfort, peace and love that we too are able to offer consolation to others who suffer as we do.
Let us strive for Holiness by living the Beatitudes our Lord gave us, so that we will all be reunited in Heaven with Him. Amen
First reading
2 Corinthians 1:1-7
God comforts us so that we can console others
From Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, one of the brothers, to the church of God at Corinth and to all the saints in the whole of Achaia. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have received from God ourselves. Indeed, as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation overflow. When we are made to suffer, it is for your consolation and salvation. When, instead, we are comforted, this should be a consolation to you, supporting you in patiently bearing the same sufferings as we bear. And our hope for you is confident, since we know that, sharing our sufferings, you will also share our consolations.
Gospel
Matthew 5:1-12
How happy are the poor in spirit
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
‘How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Happy the gentle: they shall have the earth for their heritage.
Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted.
Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied.
Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them.
Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God.
Happy the peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God.
Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven: this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.’
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