First
Sunday of Lent (Year B)
Genesis 9: 8-15,
Psalm 25,
1 Peter, 3:18-22
Mark 9: 2-9
You are Worth My Pain
Beloved, is God worth your pain? It takes
some sacrifice to overcome every temptation in life because every occasion of
temptation promises some fleeting joy. Letting go of that “false” joy carries
some inner pain. However, anytime we embrace the pains and overcome some
temptation, we leave God’s mark on creation, become embodied grace in human
form, and help make life a little better for our family, friends, community,
and all those God has placed in our lives. Jesus endured extreme pain to
overcome all temptations to put himself first. He did so to communicate to us
that we are worth his pain. If we really live like Christ, our lives will tell
God that he is also worth our pain. Our lives will tell those God has placed in
our lives that they are worth our pain.
One
story that has changed my attitude towards temptation forever is that of a
young man called Youcef Nadarkhani, a 34-year Muslim who converted to
Christianity and became a pastor of a Christian Church in Iran. In October
2009, Youcef, was arrested and sentenced to death because he refused to
denounce his faith in Christ. For two years, the Iranian government persuaded him
to denounce Christ so that his sentence could be taken away. Consistently,
Youcef’s response was “I cannot”. People tried to convince him to think about
his family and denounce Christ but his response was the same: “ I CAN NOT”. The
court gave an order that Youcef should be put to death by hanging. When he
heard that, his response was “ I STILL CANNOT DENOUNCE CHRIST” NO! I CAN NOT!”
Beloved
in Christ, was Youcef Nadarkhani
crazy? No! I don’t think so. So why did
he hold on to his faith even in the face of death? Our scriptural readings today
help us understand why people like Youcef live the way they do. The first
reading from Genesis reminds us that we have a covenant relationship with
God; a covenant that cannot be broken. God has always been faithful in keeping
his covenant with us. It is a covenant
of Love. That is why when we sin, God looks at us and says I cannot destroy my
people. That is the promised God made to us through Noah. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us that when we
refuse to denounce our faith in God, even in the face of temptation, we bring
life to others and glory to God. That is why Jesus calls on you and me to be
faithful to our covenant with God in the face of all temptations. St Peter in
the second reading tells us that our baptism was not meant to take way dirt
from our bodies but to provide a true encounter with Christ; draw our hearts
and minds into a deeper love-relationship with God and others.
Beloved,
Jesus calls on his followers to be faithful to their covenant with God by
showing us an example. The early Christians and the saints have shown us that human
beings can be like God. Human beings can also be faithful. In our day, Youcef
has shown that it is possible to be a faithful Christian. Not even the love for
his family or his own life could force Youcef to denounce Christ. The question
I ask myself as I reflect on the readings today is “Do I love Christ that much?
Is Christ worth my pain? Does my life communicate to those God has placed in my
life that they are worth my pain? Will I go though anything, even pain, if that
will show the world that it is only in living like Jesus, an imitation of
Christ as Youcef did, that this world will know peace and joy? May Christ be our light! May he shine in our
heart and through the darkness. May Christ shine in his Church, gathered today!
Add a comment