HOMILY FOR 18TH FRIDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B
HOMILY FOR 18TH FRIDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: NO PAIN, NO GAIN!
BY: Bishop Gerald M. Musa
Nahum 2:1,3,3:1-3,6-7, Deuteronomy 32:35-36,39,41, Matthew 16:24-28
Jesus knows that tough times make us even stronger, so he told his disciples: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). They were perplexed to hear him say this and could not comprehend what he was talking about. The disciples were thinking, like many Christians today, who believe that as long as you are a faithful believer, everything will be perfect for you. There is a popular Nigerian song that represents this ideology of prosperity in Christianity. The song says, “Me I no go suffer, I no go beg for bread (2x); God of miracle na my Papa ooo (2x).” When we sing and enjoy this song, we forget that suffering is part of life, and running away from suffering is called escapism. The song could be reframed thus: “Even though I suffer, I shall not lack my bread…”
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Prominent philosophers describe suffering as an existential reality. St. Paul says that God did not spare his own son from suffering, but gave him up for all of us (Romans 8:32). Jesus teaches us that there is no glory except through the way of the cross. He teaches us about what theologians call Redemptive Suffering and that suffering can also bear good fruits. Can we reflect on the meaning of the following slogans? No pain, no gain! No Cross, no crown!
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