What makes Christianity unique from all other religions is the inexhaustible mercy of God in Christ Jesus. The Christian faith is never a religion of punishment. No matter the gravity of our errors, how many times and the manner of our mistakes, the mercy of God reaches all. In Christianity, therefore, Christ is the face of God’s mercy shown to lost humanity.
Today’s readings invite and challenge us to become true Christian disciples of Christ with total commitment and no half-measure with God. You cannot be a Christian with certain preferences or conditions to follow God.
The greatest lesson of our Christian faith is that we have a humble but powerful God who reveals himself to us daily in people, things, or events of our lives. The humility of God calls and challenges us to a humble, meek and gentle lifestyle.
On a personal and communal level, the Christian life is not an easy vocation or road to travel by. It entails a lot of ups and downs. It is a life of many struggles and challenges to maintain a steady upward and onward way to heaven. However, it is a life of grace marked by many failings and errors humanly.
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
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.