Friday of Week 21 in Ordinary Time
1 Cor 1:17-25
Mt 25:1-13
…Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
In the first reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he was preaching about the power and the wisdom of God to the people. Personally, I find St. Paul’s letters to the early Christians truly relevant — yesterday, today, and tomorrow. They are filled with wisdom and truth about our God.
He spoke about the crucifixion of Christ and how it cannot be explained nor expressed in terms of philosophy or any other human knowledge. No matter how much we contemplate on the Passion of Christ — the pain, suffering and crucifixion — we cannot simply comprehend the magnanimity of it, unless the Holy Spirit leads us.
In ancient Rome, crucifixion was a most cruel form of torture. It strips a person of all dignity, while exacting a slow and painful death. This method of punishment was reserved for the worst criminals of the ancient world. Jesus, although completely innocent, suffered scourging and crucifixion to save us, to redeem us so that we could be reconciled to our Heavenly Father.
While confined in this world with distorted views, we cannot arrive at the true meaning of God’s infinite love and mercy. We cannot truly understand how our God can love us so much that He would give His only Beloved Son to die for us a most horrible death.
If we look at what God has done in human terms, it is foolishness to give up so much for people who have no appreciation of the sacrifice — people who would turn their backs at an instant, people who are too proud and refuse to acknowledge their faults. But we are not God. His love and mercy are limitless and infinite, whereas our love is often conditional and limited. What seems to be God’s foolishness is infinitely wiser than our human intellect. We simply cannot measure God and His ways with a human heart and yardstick. Even if God’s love for sinners seems like a weakness, it is still greater than any human strength. For the most precious gift one can give is to lay down one’s life for another. And that, my friends, takes immense strength.
Let us not fall into the trap of pride, thinking that we are equal to God in wisdom and strength. The truth of the matter is that we are totally dependent on God. If it feels uncomfortable reading this or hearing this, then we have succumbed to the faulty world view. Let us remind ourselves once again that without Christ, I am nothing — the true meaning of ‘Christ-i-a-n’.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Winnie Kung)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, please grant us the grace to walk in faith today and every day, trusting in Your love and mercy. Grant us understanding of the Heavenly Father’s wisdom and strength in all things and trust in His Will.
Thanksgiving: Heavenly Father, thank you for Your infinite love and mercy and for never giving up on us.
OXYGEN 
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