Do We Believe in Vain?

 

We believe in vain when the gospel makes no impact on our lives. salvation

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Thursday of 24th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II, and the Memorial of our Lady of Sorrow, September 15th, 2022
Texts: I Corinthians 15:1-11; Psalm 118:1-2.15c-17.28; Luke 7:36-50

The question to ask today is this: Do we believe in vain? We believe in vain when the gospel makes no impact on our lives. We believe in vain if we still live in sin. If we do not pray, we believe in vain. If we do not live the values of the gospel, we believe in vain. We do not believe in vain when God has not answered our prayers.

We do not believe in vain because we have challenges. The presence of cross in my life does not mean I believe in vain. I do not believe in vain because I am poor or rich. We do not believe in vain when the gospel transforms our lives and saves us.

The goal of the gospel is to transform and save souls. It aims at making Christ out of our lives. Sometimes it looks as if people just believe the gospel for the fun of it. It is not rare to see a Christian who has no commitment to God.

The gospel implants in people’s hearts the love of God. When the love of God is cold in the heart of believers, what should we say? Is it not that the believers have believed in vain? What should we say when there is contradiction between our lives and the life of Christ? Is not that we have believed in vain?

If we stand in the gospel we have received, we do not believe in vain

We do not believe in vain when the love of God is hot in our hearts. We do not believe in vain when we are prayerful. If we stand in the gospel we have received, we do not believe in vain. If we allow the values of the gospel to influence our lives, we do not believe in vain.

It is possible for us to believe in vain when we do not believe in the right thing. Hence, St. Paul reminds us of the truth of the gospel in today’s first reading.

St. Paul says, “I would remind you, brethren, in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it fast — unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures”.

We do not believe in vain when we trust firmly in the mercy of God. We should know that God forgives and so repentance is the way of salvation. When we repent, we are saved. It is sinners that run away from God, He does not run away from them. That is the message Jesus Christ communicates in today’s gospel reading. St. Paul, in today’s first reading, says, “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures”? He came to live with sinners and died for them.

The memorial of our Lady of Sorrow

Today is the memorial of our Lady of Sorrow. It recalls the participation of our Lady in the suffering of Christ, her Son and our Saviour. It reminds us that participation in the suffering of Christ is also a participation in His glory. If we want to participate in His glory we must be ready to participate in His passion.

Lord God, we thank You for the gift of faith, help us not to believe in vain; may we know the truth of the gospel, accept it, stand in it and hold it fast; that we might be saved by it. Amen

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke