Jesus was telling His apostles about His imminent torture and death. He told them: "They will turn [Me] over to the Gentiles, to be made sport of and flogged and crucified" (Mt 20:19). After this heart-rending conversation about tragic suffering and death, Sts. James, John and their mother approached Jesus and asked for a promotion to the right and left hand of Jesus (Mt 20:21). They refused to relate to the message of the cross.
On another occasion, when Jesus first mentioned the cross, St. Peter said it would never happen. Jesus had to tell Peter, "Get out of my sight, you satan!" (Mk 8:33) The cross has been and still is a stumbling block to the worldly. They question how the Messiah can set people free if He was beaten and executed as a criminal. Pleasure-seekers think the cross "an absurdity" (1 Cor 1:23). The cross makes no sense to those with the attitude: "If it feels good, do it."
Believers and unbelievers have one thing in common: they all don't understand the cross. However, "to us who are experiencing salvation it is the power of God" (1 Cor 1:18).
| PRAYER: | "Jesus, keep me near the cross." May I know nothing except what shines in the light of the cross (1 Cor 2:2, RNAB). |
| PROMISE: | "Remember that I stood before You to speak in their behalf, to turn away Your wrath from them." –Jer 18:20 |
| PRAISE: | Maria forgave her father for hitting her when she was a teenager. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College