Scripture:
1 Corinthians 15:1-8
John 14:6-14
Reflection:
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins. 1 Corinthians 15:3
What a gift! Truly this fact is of “first importance” since we cannot earn our own salvation. We cannot save ourselves. How sad would our lives be without the passion and sacrifice of Jesus for each of us. There is a line in the song He Paid a Debt that says it perfectly: “He paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay.”
Thank God for Jesus’ willingness to go to the cross for us. And how sad that there are people who have not accepted His gift, who today are lost and don’t even know it. How can we not share the Good News with everyone we meet? Our willingness to give a witness to what God has done in our lives may be the difference between heaven and hell for someone.
I’m not suggesting we assault every person and try to convert them. I am saying we should practice sharing a short and simple testimony of how we came to believe so that we are ready if someone asks us a question about our faith. We may be the first one to tell them how much God loves them personally and that Jesus made a way for us to go to heaven when we die.
Of course living our faith is also a great way to witness to God’s love and may be the reason someone asks us the question that then invites us to share today’s Gospel message – that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life! May we always be grateful for the gift of faith, and for the gift of eternal life won for us by Jesus’ death on the cross.
Janice Carleton and her husband Jim live in Portland, OR and partner with Passionist Fr. Cedric Pisegna in Fr. Cedric Ministries. She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 6. Janice also leads women’s retreats and recently published her second book: God IS with Us. Visit Janice’s website at http://www.janicecarleton.com/ or email her at [email protected].