22nd Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A

"If a man wishes to come after Me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and begin to follow in my footsteps."

Lectionary Readings of 22nd Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/22nd-sunday-a.html

We who are fortunate to be in an information rich society and context sometimes forget that there are poor among us who may not even know how to read and write. They may live below the poverty line - where they have to live on a very small amount of income. There are also those who are spiritually poor: the despondent, those who are discouraged and faint-hearted, those who suffer from lack of faith or hope, etc.

How often we forget that to follow in Christ's footsteps means denying much of our self and needing to go out of our comfort zones. Though we need not be missionaries who go out into the jungles of Africa or Papua New Guinea, or go up the mountains of much of Asia, we can just go out of our ordinary routine and help the person we know who is suffering from a problem or difficulty in life.

The communicant I give to (she is a senior citizen who suffers from shingles), tells of how she would, in our present hard times, encourage a friend not to give up hope and faith in God. Her friend has many problems and suffers from many difficult situations in life. However, this sick (not really very sick since she can still drive though she wants to stay at home on Sundays to take care more of her wheelchaired sister), goes out of her way to take time to encourage this friend of her to hold on to God, to continue to go to Sunday Mass and not to abandon the Catholic faith. And, after all her positive and encouraging proddings and through the own efforts of her friend herself, her friend was able to slowly recover from her difficult situation and slowly returned to a stronger faith in God.

This gospel passage is a call for us to go out of our comfort zones. To deny ourself some conveniences in order to take up the responsibility of Christ (share in His cross to build the Kingdom), and follow Him in His desire to save people from despondency, darkness, discouragement, loneliness, and all forms of realities that choke the gift of life that God has given us. How we will do this: to deny ourself, take up our cross and follow Christ - depends on our state of life and the social environment in which we find ourselves. One thing is for sure though. If we take to sincere heart this injunction and directive of Christ, we too shall share in eternal life with Him forever in His kingdom. And we will have glimpses of this kingdom when we ourselves have acted according to His will in our daily life.