THEME: THE HOUR OF OUR GLORY SHALL COME

(Acts 14:21-27; Rev. 21:1-5; Jn. 13:31-33, 34-35)

The ink used in writing the history of the church is the blood of the martyrs. The church is founded upon the blood of the martyrs, beginning with Christ, who suffered death for us.  In the first reading of today, we are presented with the impacts of the two of early Disciples of Christ; who went about spreading the goodness of the gospel.  Saints Paul and Barnabas bore witness to Christ in the face of all obstacles and difficulties and even encouraged their disciples (us) to remain steadfast in spite of troubles, for “We must undergo many trial’ if we are to enter the Kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

Can we bear our troubles for the sake of faith and love for Christ?  Yes, we can. We need to believe in our future life; that just as Christ the Son of Man was glorified, we too will receive our own glory when we ‘entre into the new heavens and a new earth’, when ‘God shall wipe away every tear from our eyes’ (Rev. 21:1-14). Remember this:  ‘some are born great; some achieve greatness, while some have greatness thrust upon them’.  Let us react with courage and cheerfulness to the crises and challenges of our faith/life, and we will achieve Christian greatness.

To achieve this Christian greatness, there is need for loving support from one another to sustain our spirits in times of hardship.  In the gospel of today, Christ reminds us of the greatest of his commandments; ‘love one another, just as I loved you’ (Jn. 13:34). Love has the power to bring people back from the brink of death, from hopeless sickness to perfect health. *Remember our homework to read and reflect (1 Jn. 4:21).* Selfless and sacrificial love, the example of love lived by Jesus Christ.

STORY: NO LIFE WITHOUT LOVE

The groundbreaking experiment conducted by Friedrich, in a bid to establish the original language of human beings. Friedrich gathered a group of newly born babies under the care of a midwife. He forbade the midwife from speaking to the babies, even in the lightest possible tone. In the end, Friedrich was not able to establish the original human language, as the last babies died at the age of 12. Through this experiment, however, Friedrich stumbled into a significant discovery:  Without Love, without good human relationship, the human person will be incapable of a meaningful human existence, even with the best possible external conditions.

Where a child is denied a smiling face, where nobody speaks to the child. Where nobody shows the trust or evokes trust and confidence in child, the child will always remain perpetually stunted in his or her development.

Many today are sick, because they lack love; many are victims of depression because they have no one to talk to, some die in silence due to lack of trust and confidence. With our Christian love, we can renew the faces of the earth and the world around us.

HAPPY SUNDAY!