Like St. Paul we have to allow the love of Christ to impel us on our journey through life
Reflections on the readings for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (June 20, 2021): JB 38:1,8-11; PS 107:23-24,25-26,28-29,30-31; 2 COR 5:14-17; MK 4:35-41
MISSIO offers “Preaching Mission,” as a homily help, providing connections to mission from the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
"For the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died. He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)
In each of the readings from this Sunday, we are reminded about our dependence on God. Both the Book of Job and the Psalms, as well as the Gospel according to St. Mark, tell us that God is always with us and always ready to care for us, especially in the most dangerous times. We may not understand the particular trials that we face, but we must know that we are never alone. Whatever the outcome, whatever the Lord asks of us, we need to recognize His power and His protection may not be what we expect. In St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle tells his readers that we need to look to Jesus to provide all that we need if only we have faith in Him. “The love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all.…He indeed died for all.… So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15, 17).
Like St. Paul we have to allow the love of Christ to impel us on our journey through life. If we believe in the compassion that took Him to the Cross for the sake of every person, we need to trust Him in all things. Through His Son, the Eternal Father reconciles us to Himself. The days of the Old Covenant are gone; in Christ we are reborn in the newness of life. Through Baptism we are transformed. Jesus does not merely point out the way we ought to live – He is life itself. On earth and in heaven, He is King and we are called to become new beings in Him. We need to ask ourselves whether or not the love of Christ truly impels us in our day-to-day life as His followers. And, if it does not, whether we are doing what He asks of us and being what He hopes for us.
