1 Corinthian 1:18-23 - The Cross

1 Corinthian 1:18-23
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart." Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,

Comment
As Lent goes on I strongly suggest to you that you begin to put into your meditation the theme of the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Everyone (watching this program) whether you are a believer or an unbeliever, whether you are a Christian or a non Christian has sufferings, sorrows and crosses in life. I am one of those people who believe that this is only comprehensible by the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
I’m not so sure I would even be a religious person if I did not believe that God has suffered with us.

I admire the members of other religions because evil when it comes upon them it is terribly puzzling and can make you very angry. And when it comes upon a Christian it can make you very puzzled and very angry. But as you get angry you have to look at the crucifix. You see that image on the wall – a crucifix – a modest little statue of Jesus crucified.

It represents human degradation.
It represents all the suffering of innocent people who ever lived.
It is a sign of suffering and it is a sign of hope.

The Cross – What does it say?
That God suffers with us.
A French poet –Claudell said ‘Christ did not stop all suffering or explain all suffering but by His own suffering He made the possibility of sanctifying all the suffering

Source: EWTN - Fr Benedict Groeschel – Daily Reflection – (for the Second Wednesday of Lent)

Isaiah 66:14 Behold He Comes

Isaiah 66:14 Behold He Comes
“When you see this, your heart will rejoice”.

Reflection

If you ask most people what December is about, they are likely to say, “Getting ready for Christmas.” But go one step further and ask what this means. They will mention buying presents, preparing for guests, or visiting family for the holidays. If you say, “What about celebrating the mystery of the birth of the Son of God?” they will eye you suspiciously and with a tinge of embarrassment say, “Of course. That too.” It was not always this way. Older people can remember when there was real excitement. As children, we fasted from candy and made little sacrifices for the Christ Child. We saved what little we had to buy presents but also to give something to the poor or to the Church. And we were excited.

We all knew of course that Christ was born long ago, but somehow this remembrance made it seem that He was coming again to us. I recall serving Midnight Mass at the Dominican Sisters’ motherhouse and, looking up on Christmas Eve on the way to the chapel, there was a large bright star. I do not now know whether it was the planet Jupiter or Venus in the clear, cold sky. I literally jumped when I saw it. Jesus was coming to our town. Some call this the magic of Christmas. It’s not magic, of course. Magic is a trick—the appearance of something that actually is not there. Christmas is a mystery: that which is intangible, unseen, is really there. Christ is with us every day whenever we decide to turn to Him.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, increase our faith. Draw our eyes away from unimportant things and our hearts from what is shallow. Help us to feel the joy of the shepherds or the Magi. Give us a taste of the wonder of Mary and Joseph. Help us to share with those we love and all those we know the truly good news: The Lord comes. Amen.

Source: Behold, He Comes
Meditations on the Incarnation: Daily Readings from Advent to Epiphany -Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.