Thursday,
December 26, 2013
Stephen, First Martyr
1st Reading: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59
Gospel: Matthew 10:17-22
Jesus said to his disciples, “Be on your guard with respect to people, for they will hand you over to their courts and they will flog you in their synagogues. You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings because of me, and so you may witness to them and the pagans.
“But when you are arrested, do not worry about what you are to say and how you are to say it; when the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say. For it is not you who will speak; but it will be the Spirit of your Father in you.
“Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn against parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but whoever stands firm to the end will be saved.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life
Experience)
As early as Christmas time the gospel warns us of the consequences of following Jesus. These are scary consequences that could include betrayal from family members, rejection from fellowmen, and even physical harm that could include martyrdom. One should think twice before following him because there is no turning back. While discipleship is optional God demands commitment from those who decide to follow him.
Commitment means relationship, and religion is supposed to facilitate this. “Religion” is compound of the Latin words “re” (again) and “ligare” (to tie up or bind). From its etymology it is clear that religion is supposed to link a person back to God, the source of his strength. Is your religion strong enough to keep you connected to God despite tribulations? Many times religion worsens the gap between the person and God because religion is misunderstood as a body of rituals one can observe independent of others. This is cult, not religion!
Our religion is aptly identified with the cross not only because Jesus used it as instrument of salvation but also because it illustrates the intersection of vertical and horizontal relationships defining its nature. A disciple’s relationship with God (vertical relationship) must intersect with his relationship with fellowmen (horizontal relationship) in order to be an authentic follower of Christ. Anything less is hypocrisy which God detests. God will vomit the hypocrite (Rev. 3:15).
The Gospel reminds us of the consequences of following the new born child as early as Christmas time so that we won’t have illusions in following him. Let us be mindful of this: once we have committed ourselves to him, there is no turning back.
— Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM, Email: [email protected]. Website: www.frdan.org.
May comment ka ba sa column ni Father Dan? May tanong ka ba sa kanya? I-type ang BANDERA REACT
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Bandera. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.