Being a true follower of Christ is an uneasy road that has heavenly destination, a cross that comes with crown of glory and a light that illuminates the darkness of the world. There are inspiring examples of countless heroes and heroines of faith who lived according to the mind of Christ, bore pains, insults, persecutions, and sufferings but are celebrated gloriously today. On May 13, 1981, St Pope John Paul II was riding in his Popemobile across Piazza San Pietro and was shot by Mehmet Ali Aqca, who had escaped from a Turkish prison after a life sentence for murdering a journalist. Aqca fired four shots with his pistol and two shots hit the Pope in his lower abdomen, and two more in his arm and finger. Aqca was later sentenced to life in prison by an Italian Court.
However, to the glory of God, St Pope John Paul II survived his severe injuries and then asked all Christians and Catholics to pray for Aqca, whom he had forgiven. In December 27, 1983 he visited him in his stark prison cell and spent time praying and talking to him. The Pope communicated with the family of Aqca during this period. In the year 2000, the Pope requested that Aqca should be pardoned. He was later released in Italy, thereafter jailed in his homeland in Turkey, where he got converted to Christianity and was fully released in 2010. Friends in Christ, this true life event captures today’s liturgy and its divine message.
The Pope arrested his attempted murderer (Aqca) with the word of God, pierced his heart with the love of God, then discharged and acquitted him in forgiveness the same way Christ did on the cross. In today’s liturgy Jesus revealed the whole purpose of his earthly ministry and the necessary 2 requirements to be carried out by any of his followers. In the Gospel passage Jesus told his disciples, “if any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”.
This teaching of Jesus is geared to keep his followers from losing their faith in the fires of sufferings and persecutions that they would encounter as Christians. St Paul once encouraged young Timothy, “indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Jesus Christ will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). The Christian life is a life of total obedience to the will of God, self-denial and constant sacrifice. To be a good Christian one has to offer up his or her time, treasure, talent, positions, pleasure, leisure and many other resources in order to serve God. Christianity is a religion that is in constant struggle and contrast with the standard of the World.
The idea of taking up a cross as we follow Christ is scarce in this contemporary age and time, because the pleasures of life is terribly increasing, immorality and corruption wears new garment each passing day, while quick-rich syndrome is the program of operation in different socio-cultural milieu. The human tendency wishes to be comfortable in our Christian practise. Many do not like reminders of the call to embrace the crosses of life, the sacrifices and the suffering attached in following Christ. It is for this reason that St Paul in the second reading admonishes us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God as a spiritual worship. More so, it says “do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind”.
It is a call for us to re-examine the motive of following Christ. Today, many Christians walk ahead of Jesus, some dictate for him, while some command him. It is even more awful that some men and women of God build followers for themselves instead of for God. As living Sacrifice to God, our entire actions should glorify God and must be contrary to relative truth 3 which is increasingly prevalent in our society and designed to appeal to our fleshly desires. When temptations raise its ugly head in our life, let us remember to apply the word of Christ “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me”. My dear people of God, our world and society is littered with layers of immorality, violence, unhealthy rivalry and dehumanization. In most recent times, ritualism, kidnapping, banditry, child-trafficking, 419, cultism and other evil activities against humanity and the Church has been on the increase. “Man’s inhumanity to man” has been the order of the day. “
Do me, I do you” has become a consoling slogan of judgement in our social setting. A good number of our homes are dehydrated by hatred, gossips, lies, jealousy, abusive relationships, irresponsibility and infidelity. Also, in our place of work unhealthy competition, lust and bitterness has aborted the love and service that should exist within. Our world, society, families and other social units need true Disciples to convey the word and will of God in words and actions, without fear nor earthly favorslike Prophet Jeremiah in the first reading.
Most importantly, the Church needs men and women who will truly dedicate their lives for the service of God and humanity without reservations. It is evident that the cost of discipleship comes with lots of sacrifices and sufferings and many shy away from this. We pray with the words of the gospel acclamation that the Heavenly Father will enlighten the eyes of our hearts that we might know what is the hope to which he has created us and called us. Amen