Archive for month: April, 2025
Sunday Reflection upon Philippians 3:4-14
We share in the sufferings of Christ not by enduring pain in a harmful relationship but by making the noble choice to suffer while striving to do good, just as Christ did. Soren Kierkegaard beautifully expressed this, ‘We suffer in likeness with Christ when we endure ill-treatment from others because we seek and pursue the good.’ How often have we not suffered because we chose not to do the good and right thing by loving God and others, including our enemies? Our choices to do good or not to do good are crucial in understanding and sharing in Christ’s sufferings, empowering us to participate actively in acts of mercy and justice.
We share in Christ’s sufferings when we show mercy to those caught in sin, when we extend forgiveness to our enemies, when we stand up for the poor and dispossessed with unwavering determination, when we offer our friendship to those in need, when we fight for justice for the wrongly convicted, when we choose honesty over deceit, and when we resist the temptation to act out of anger or malice, we are sharing in the sufferings of Christ. May we, within our abilities, share in the sufferings of Christ, being faithful to God and others, including our enemies. As a response to God’s grace, may the concept of sharing in the sufferings of Christ be our way of life, empowering us to stand for justice and righteousness.
Let us ask our Father that we imitate his mercy: God of life, Jesus, your Son reveals to us that love is stronger than death, and you wish the sinner to live and to become new. May we no longer live in the past of sin but make us free for life and love. Give us hearts as merciful to one another as you have been lenient and loving to us. Amen.
(Claretian Publications)
