In the first reading today, St. Paul is reminding the Phillippians of something very important: that it is God who in his good purpose works in you both to desire and to work. This means that the very wish and desire that we have to do anything good comes from God, and that the actual carrying out of that desire – the power to do it – comes from God as well (for of ourselves we can originate and do nothing).
According to the reading we – as Christians – as meant to shine like lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. This is our baptismal mandate! We were given a lighted candle on the day of our baptism – as a sign of our very real new life in Christ – as a reminder that he is the true light and we share our brightness from his.
Each and every day we are called to hold on to the words of life that are available to us and to continue always - in season and out, when convenient and inconvenient - to spread the truth of God's love, God's care, God's providence – to all we meet.
As the alleluia verse tells us: if we are insulted for doing these things in the name of the Christ – blessed are we – for the Spirit of God rests upon us. The one consoling and comforting thought for all of us needs to be that it is God who will have the last word! After all is said, and all is done – he will simply want to know if we found Christ his Son in all of the places both obvious and hidden that he placed him for our benefit – so that we wouldn't miss him!
What will our answer be?
In the gospel passage Jesus tells us that disciples can always find him(and sense his presence and his help) as they carry their own cross and follow him! And the only way to use both hands on the cross is to give up grabbing onto and possessing anything and everything else – as much as possible! This means: possessing Jesus above family members, above careers, above material possessions, above our own well-intentioned projects. A true disciple of Christ holds on to him for all he is worth – and finds that Jesus is worth a very great deal and that therefore he, the disciple, lacks nothing at all, both in this life – and into the next!
If you feel that you are lacking – in any way – it means simply that you are not holding on tightly enough to your own cross and the Cross of Christ – which are united seamlessly!
The Lord is the light and salvation of the world. We can help him save the world – by allowing his light to shine through us, as we daily carry our crosses towards the final Crucifixion and Resurrection!
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