bq. It is not enough to know the truth of the cross — it has to be lived.
*G O S P E L*
_Jesus knows very early on that much is going to be demanded of Him in His life. I believe He was at least partially aware that these demands could go as far as dying for us in a none too pleasant manner. Yet, we know that Jesus set His mind and heart on the task given Him by His Father, and did not diverge either to the left or to the right. Let us seek to imitate this single-mindedness in the way we follow God’s will today._
*John 3:13-17*
bq. 13 Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” *16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.* 17 _For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him._
*the PoWer oF the cross*
It is a paradox that the primary symbol of Christianity is the cross of Jesus — the Son of God, crucified and dead, hanging on a cross. However, the power of the cross rests not just in the cross itself and the forgiveness of sins that it brings about, but in the resurrection, the definitive and final victory of love and goodness over sin and death. If Christianity finished with the cross it would be nothing; the cross needs the resurrection for it to have the power it has. Thus, an equally important symbol for Christianity is the empty tomb. Here we have the reality of God’s offer of salvation in its fullness: His Son, Jesus, crucified for us so that our sins will be forgiven, and the empty tomb telling us that death does not have the final say but God Himself has.
The challenge for us now is to live in this new reality where sin has been stripped of its power and we have the new opportunity for life through the resurrection of Jesus. The completion of the work of the resurrection is accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit. What remains to be seen is whether or not we are willing to humble ourselves before the throne of God and admit our need for help in living a holy life. Then and only then will the Holy Spirit have the freedom He needs to transform our lives into the image and likeness of Jesus’ life. This is what we call conversion — the surrender of our life to the power of the cross and new life in the Spirit. Doing this on a daily basis is what constitutes discipleship. It is the only path to holiness — the only path to eternal life and true human fulfillment.
It is not enough to know the truth of the cross — it has to be lived. To live the truth of the cross is to be on the path to becoming a saint. I hope that is the deepest desire of our hearts — to become a saint — as this is the truest and most faithful response we can make to God’s love for us.
_Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL_
*Reflection Question:*
_What is the deepest desire of my heart? What motivates me to act? Who are the people I hold before my mind as models of the person I want to become?_
*_Jesus, open my heart to be inspired by the lives of the saints and increase in me the desire to become a saint._*
_St. Maternus, Bishop, pray for us._