My dear brethren, it is easier to say I am a Christian, than to live as one. If you want to be an authentic Christian, you should be ready to suffer. The common saying is: A Crossless Christian, is a Christless Christian.
We all know that the life of our Lord and mater Jesus Christ was full of suffering from the beginning till death. So, whoever wishes to be his followers should be ready to suffer, to renounce him or herself and carry his or her cross.
Life by nature is full of ups and downs; to survive inside life demands a lot. Even, without being a Christian, life is unbearable, and becoming a Christian makes it more difficult. It becomes difficult because the ways of the world are different from the ways of the Lord.
Let us compare the world and Christianity briefly…
*If in life, you have to struggle to become great; then in Christianity which swims against the current of the world, demands extraordinary struggle to become a Saint.
*If there is no short-cut to success in life; it means there will be no short-cut to win the Lord’s crown of glory.
*If the world offers pain to its citizens who are non-Christians; know that the same world will offer excruciating pain to Christians, just for them to renounce their faith in Christ.
*Moreover, Christianity offers hope to her followers’ afterlife on earth, while the world offers no hope to her followers.
Therefore, You are not yet a follower of Christ if your faith has not been tested like gold is tested in fire Cf. 1 Peter. 1:7. Let us not be discouraged for being a Christian. Christ told us, we need to carry our daily task as cross and follow him. Know it today that temptation is a test of faith; falling into it makes one a loser, (but with confession you become strong) while overcoming it makes one victorious.
Jesus said to his disciples in today’s Gospel: “The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised on the third day.” Then to all, he said, “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me.”
An authentic Christian who never wavers despite the turbulent of life has by nature chosen life over death according to Moses’ admonition in the first reading of today.
Moses said to the people: ‘See, today I set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin on you today, if you love the Lord your God and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws, his customs, you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to make your own (the kingdom of heaven). But if your heart strays, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them (the god of money, material wealth) I tell you today, you will most certainly perish.
In summary, it’s only an authentic Christian who has chosen life, while a fake Christian chose death. My suggested simplest ways of renouncing the world are…
- To be content with what we have
- Never to be materialistic conscious
- Be eager to share than being at the receiving end
- Be conscious of who you are always
- Register in your mind that you don’t want to disappoint yourself, or those who look up to you.
Blessings to you and your family+. Please pray to he HOLY ROSARY EVERYDAY it is so powerful. “A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON AND THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN IS A LIFE OF WARFARE”.
Fr. Emmanuel (Nwachinaemere)
Peace be with you.
Bible Verses: Deut. 30:15-20
Ps. 1:1-4,6, Lk. 9:22-25
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