THE WORD BECAME FLESH

Monday of 17^th Week in ordinary time, 2022

2Cor 4:7-15

Ps126

Matt 20:20-28

Feast of St James the Apostle

God’s Transcendent Power

Dear friends in Christ, there are times, when you see and reflect on what you have been through and just cannot believe how you came through it. Sometimes, you see the conditions of other people and you just cannot believe how someone can endure such. The truth however is that, for anyone who is in God, there is always the grace to endure whatever life brings; because the person is in God, there is always the hope that he will overcome the situation.

Our first reading today (2Cor 4:7-15) is a reminder of what we carry in us as a treasure beyond all telling. The priceless treasure is Christ. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.” We are the earthen vessels and the treasure in us is Jesus. With him in us, we can achieve all things. “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed: always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” This is very evident in the life of James who's the feast we celebrate today.

James was a son of Zebedee, his brother being John, and both of them Apostles and members of the inner circle of the disciples who were always with Jesus. He witnessed the transfiguration and some of the exclusive miracles and was at the garden in Gethsemane. He is known as James the Greater to differentiate him from the others by the same name; and was the first of the Apostles to die for Christ, being put to death by Herod Agrippa in 44 AD (cf Acts 12:2). His relics are believed to be enshrined at Compostela in Spain and became the major pilgrimage center in the Middle Ages.

Today’s Gospel recounts an episode in which James and his brother John came up to Jesus accompanied by their mother, who pleaded, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left in your kingdom.” Can anyone blame her? After giving two sons to the ministry of Jesus, she also desired the best for them. Jesus asked if they will drink his cup and be baptized in his baptism and they answered in the affirmative. He then told them that even when they are ready for that, the seats are reserved by the Father. James lived up to his promise by becoming the first to suffer martyrdom. We must do our utmost best to live up to our baptismal promises. The best way to begin is to be of service to others as Jesus said, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant…as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Let us pray: Lord, we give you thanks for the gift of life. Help us to live always according to your will. Amen

+Remain blessed