Peter, James, and John were the three major apostles chosen by Jesus. Only they were chosen by Jesus to be present when He raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Mk 5:37), when He was transfigured (Mt 17:1-2), and when He suffered His agony in the garden of Gethsemani (Mt 26:37). Consequently, when James was beheaded (Acts 12:2) and Peter on death row, it seemed that the Church was being quickly destroyed by the systematic extermination of its leaders.
However, the very opposite was true, for in dying we are born to new life, and so is the Church. When we continually "carry about in our bodies the dying of Jesus" (2 Cor 4:10) and are "being delivered to death for Jesus' sake," then the life of Jesus is revealed (2 Cor 4:11). In our weakness, God's power reaches perfection (2 Cor 12:9). "It is true He was crucified out of weakness, but He lives by the power of God. We too are weak in Him, but we live with Him by God's power in us" (2 Cor 13:4).
Jesus' death on the cross and our share in His death are our glory, not our shame (see Gal 6:14; Rm 1:16). "The message of the cross is complete absurdity to those who are headed for ruin, but to us who are experiencing salvation it is the power of God" (1 Cor 1:18). "Indeed, everything is ordered to [our] benefit, so that the grace bestowed in abundance may bring greater glory to God" (2 Cor 4:15). "Lift high the cross!"
| PRAYER: | "We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world" (St. Francis of Assisi). |
| PROMISE: | "Such is the case with the Son of Man Who has come, not to be served by others, but to serve, to give His own life as a ransom for the many." –Mt 20:28 |
| PRAISE: | St. James was honored by King Afonso of Kongo, the country's second Christian king. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College