Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Brothers and sisters:
If Christ is preached as raised from the dead,
how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
If there is no resurrection of the dead,
then neither has Christ been raised.
And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching;
empty, too, your faith.
Then we are also false witnesses to God,
because we testified against God that he raised Christ,
whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised.
For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain;
you are still in your sins.
Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are the most pitiable people of all.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 17:1bcd, 6-7, 8b, 15
R. (15b) Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
Show your wondrous mercies,
O savior of those who flee
from their foes to refuge at your right hand.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings,
But I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking, I shall be content in your presence.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Alleluia
See Matthew 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 8:1-3
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another,
preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources
Meditation
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The Word of God leads us today to the very heart of our faith: Jesus Christ truly rose from the dead. Saint Paul does not present the Resurrection as a secondary detail of the Christian faith. It is its foundation. He even goes so far as to say: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless.” In other words, everything we believe, everything we hope for, and everything we live as Christians is founded on this event: the tomb did not have the final word over Jesus. Death did not have the final word. Sin did not have the final word. And this truth profoundly changes the way we live.
We may go through moments when everything seems closed: a family difficulty, a failure, a disappointment, an illness, an inner wound, or a situation that seems to have no way out. Sometimes, we may feel that certain realities in our lives have already become like tombs. But the Resurrection reminds us that God is capable of bringing life where we can see nothing but death.
Christian faith is therefore not simply the hope that everything will get better. It is much deeper: it is trust in a God who has conquered death through Jesus Christ. Let us therefore not allow despair to have the last word! Let us not allow appearances to determine our hope! Christ is risen!
This is the horizon of the believer. But this hope in the Resurrection does not distance us from the world. On the contrary, it encourages us to become more committed to the present. This is precisely what the Gospel shows us. Jesus travels through towns and villages proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God. The Twelve accompany Him. But they are not alone.
Saint Luke also introduces us to several women who traveled with Jesus: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others. Some of them had been healed by Jesus. And now, they put their resources at the service of His mission. There is something beautiful about this scene.
They have received, and they give. They have been lifted up, and they serve. They have experienced Jesus’ action in their lives, and they now place their lives and possessions at the service of the Gospel.
This is a true response to grace. We too have received much from the Lord. We have received life, faith, forgiveness, people who have helped us, opportunities to begin again, and blessings that we sometimes cannot even count. The question is therefore simple: What do I do with what I have received? Do the graces we have received from God remain locked within our lives? Or do they become a service to others? For an authentic encounter with Christ does not make us turn inward. It makes us available to others.
Let Us Pray
Lord Jesus, You have risen from the dead and You are alive among us. When difficulties make me lose courage, remind me that death did not have the final word over You. When I can no longer see a way forward, teach me to hope in Your power. When I feel trapped in my failures, come and open for me the doors to a new life.
Lord, purify my heart from every form of despair. Teach me to believe that Your grace can still work where I no longer see any possibility. Like the women who accompanied Jesus, teach me also to put what I have received from You at the service of the Gospel.
Intercession
Lord Jesus, risen from the dead, we entrust to You all those who are going through trials, discouragement, grief, failure, or loneliness.
May the light of Your Resurrection renew their hope
Spiritual Exercise
- Today, whenever a situation seems hopeless to me, I will take a few seconds to say silently: “But no! Christ is risen!”
- I will take some time to identify one blessing God has given me and think concretely about how I can use it to help another person.
- Today, I will perform an act of selfless service for someone, without expecting recognition in return.
- Tonight, before going to sleep, I will look back on my day and ask myself:
“Today, through the way I lived, did I bear witness that Christ is alive?”
Rev. Martial SOH TAKAMTE
