Freedom of Children of God
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
“For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.”Ps. 89
Glorious freedom that God came to give us, that we will live forever in heaven but that we can anticipate or foretaste in this world. He who has God lacks nothing, said St. Teresa, he has everything. He is not afraid of those who kill his body, for they cannot kill his soul. Live in the peace, love, and joy that the Holy Spirit gives.
The freedom of the child of God is also in that he knows how to live in abundance and scarcity, in prosperity and in adversity, because he does not put his heart in the things of this world but rather in eternal goods and from there comes his freedom and peace.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the extraordinary greatness of power is of God and not of us. Afflicted in everything, but not burdened; perplexed, but not desperate; persecuted, but not abandoned; shot down, but not destroyed; carrying in the body always everywhere the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 1 Cor 4:7-10
“those who have a wife are as if they did not have one; and those who mourn, as if they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as if they rejoice; and those who buy, as if they had nothing; and those who take advantage of the world, as if they did not take full advantage of it; Because the appearance of this world is fleeting.”1 Corinthians 7:29ff
Christ has given meaning to the cross of every day, that is, to problems, difficulties, jobs, struggles for the Kingdom of God, even to sickness and death, which are part of our fragile nature and which Christ himself assumed to show us that we must accept our condition as a way that leads to the Father.
“If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it…”Matthew 16:24ff
Much like today’s gospel: he who does not take up his cross is not worthy of me,… and he cannot be my disciple.
TWO CLEAR HALLMARKS OF DISCIPLESHIP, said by Jesus himself: that of accepting our daily cross, and that of loving each other as He loved us. John 13:34ff.
Therefore, the child of God in his maturity lives free, he is of God and for God, like consecrated persons, who leave everything to follow Christ, and anticipate the experience of the eternal kingdom already in this world, living eternal values: he is free from everything (vow of poverty) from everyone (chastity) and from himself (obedience).
He is free by the fruit of the Holy Spirit who gives him self-control, to make his life a gift of God’s love to the world; free to give oneself, to love, to serve. Being docile to the Spirit, like children to their parents. This is how the one who receives you receives Jesus, and the one who helps you helps Jesus. He wanted to become one with us, and to continue to love and act through us.
Readings for the Week
Sunday: 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a/Ps 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19 (2a)/Rom 6:3-4, 8-11/Mt 10:37-42
Monday: Eph 2:19-22/Ps 117:1bc, 2/Jn 20:24-29
Tuesday: Gn 19:15-29/Ps 26:2-3, 9-10, 11-12/Mt 8:23-27
Wednesday: Gn 21:5,8-20a/Ps34:7-8,10-11,12-13/Mt8:28-34
Thursday: Gn 22:1b-19/Ps 115:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9/Mt 9:1-8
Friday: Gn 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67/Ps 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5/Mt 9:9-13
Saturday: Gn 27:1-5, 15-29/Ps 135:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6/Mt 9:14-17
Next Sunday: Zec 9:9-10/Ps 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14 (see 1)/Rom 8:9, 11-13/Mt 11:25-30
Observances for the Week
Sunday: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday: St. Thomas, Apostle
Tuesday: Independence Day
Wednesday: St. Anthony Zaccaria, Priest; St. Elizabeth of Portugal
Thursday: St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr
Next Sunday: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time