Explicitly, the fire Jesus brings into the world, which is ready to burn is the fire of truth. The truth divides people for Christ or against him. As Frederick Nietzsche, the 18th-century German Philosopher said, you could tell much about a man’s character by how much he could tolerate.
Indeed, faith in God overcomes all fears. Biblically, Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval, Hebrews 11:1. Clearly, anyone who walks or lives by faith does not only have absolute trust in God but also has no cause to be afraid.
This is because faith assures and guarantees that God is in control of all, even the most seemingly hopeless situations of our lives and the world today.
The Christian life of discipleship and following Christ entails a generous life of fulfilment sharing what we have with others and not living a greedy lifestyle. The fundamental question is what gives fulfilment to our existential life on earth? In other words, one of life’s deepest questions is: What is the meaning of a man’s life on earth? Or, what profit does a man get from all his labour?
The Lord`s prayer is not only just a prayer but the best model or structure on how to pray as a Christian. The Christian life is a spiritual life that has its source in perpetual prayer. That is, the Christian life is prayerful. The Bible enjoins us to pray unceasingly, 1 Thess. 5:16-18
Action or contemplation? Service or worship? Hospitality or prayer? For as long as Christianity has existed, we’ve debated these dichotomies. Which is more important – kneeling at the altar, or mopping the church floors? What should we prioritize? How should we find a good balance between the mystical and the practical?
Indeed, the story of the good Samaritan is a summary of how true faith is living Christian action of empathy and sympathy for others, especially the downtrodden. A Christian is an empathetic person who can feel, connect and relate to the painful situations or experiences of others. He is one who easily moves with compassion and pity towards the needy and helpless.
We are called as Christians to rejoice in our identity and not our worth in terms of what we have done or accomplished. The challenge of the Christian life is for us not to become obsessed with our significance, accomplishment and influence, but to rejoice that we are privileged to be associated with God`s work. With a living hope of having our name written in heaven. That is having our identity ingrained with and in God.
Being a disciple of Christ is a call to detachment, perseverance and faithfulness. It is a challenge, we cannot be committed to Christ and his gospel if we are attached to someone or something. The call of Christ to discipleship entails endurance through hard times. Above all, it is a call of faithfulness from the beginning to the end without lukewarmness, complacency or giving up when challenges come to us as a result of following Christ.
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi was intended to affirm Catholic belief in the Real Presence of the Risen Christ in the consecrated bread and wine at Mass. A firm belief in the Body and Blood of Christ and regular reception of the Blessed Sacrament or Holy Communion is fundamental to Catholic doctrine, spirituality and growth in holiness. It is our inheritance.
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity is not just the central mystery of the Christian faith, but also the demonstration of three persons of the Divine Trinity as God of communion and communication. In this Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, the Church celebrates our belief that God is One and yet Three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, equal in majesty and glory, One in Three and Three in One.