Twenty-Fifth Friday of Ordinary Time

“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Jesus’ life leads him to make the ultimate sacrifice for all of mankind. He suffers, dies, and is buried, but in the end he is resurrected, ascends into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father. The trials and tribulations of our own lives can also be redemptive when we unite them with Jesus’ sacrifices. We must be willing to suffer, to be rejected, to die to ourselves so we can be raised by God. Our consolation is not of this world, it is of the next and in the knowledge that our acts of faith, hope, and love imitate Jesus.

Are we willing to make the sacrifices necessary to do God’s Will? When we suffer trials and tribulations, are we willing to accept them and unite them with Jesus’ sacrifice? Can we accept the rejection and persecution that comes with being a God-bearing person?

O Lord, we offer you all of our sacrifices to make into your own.

Amen.