Christian life consists in imitating Christ. The Saints did this best, and we are called to do the same.
The first reading is from Isaiah about the mysterious suffering servant, who would bring salvation through his sufferings. This is a prophecy of the Passion of Christ and the “cup” referred to in today’s Gospel.
In the second reading we see the glory Jesus received for drinking the “cup” of suffering. He became our High Priest by sacrificing Himself. Each Priest in the Church is ordained to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to preach, administer the Sacraments live a life of service to God and His people. We carry on the mission of Christ in the sanctification of souls.
In the Gospel, Jesus had just given His third and final Passion prediction. But even so, the Apostles still did not understand the nature of the Kingdom he was establishing. In fact, James and John asked for seats at either side of Jesus in His Kingdom. They were ambitious for human glory and had not understood that the Kingdom was a spiritual Kingdom. Jesus replied to them:
Anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all.
So, the path to glory is won through a life of service, prayer and sacrifice in imitation of the Master, for the sake of souls.
The greatest saints of the Church are the victim souls, such as St Padre Pio who suffered the stigmata (wounds of Christ). Another example is Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta who was a victim soul for sixty-four years and suffered the invisible stigmata. She is referred to by Jesus as: The little daughter of the Divine Will, for through her, Jesus gave us the Book of Heaven. Jesus is now restoring the gift of Original Holiness, lost by Adam and Eve in the Fall. This is the new and divine holiness and is the greatest of all gifts we could receive. There is a wonderful two-day retreat at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Chittering on 2nd and 3rd of November, with the Benedictine Daughters of the Divine Will and other Guest Speakers. It is a great grace being offered to all, to come and learn about the gifts of all gifts, living in the Divine Will! Book tickets here: https://shorturl.at/3ytaz There is also a nice video about one of the presenters, Mother Gabrielle Maria https://divinemercyshrine.com.au/who-is-mother-gabrielle-marie/
The readings today remind of a wonderful saint who lived today’s Gospel fully: St Peter Paschal. He was an outstanding scholar and Bishop from the high middle-ages. He lived in Spain, which at that time was ruled by Muslims and where Christians were denied civil rights and often enslaved. St Peter preached courageously in order to convert Muslims to the Catholic Faith and was so successful that the Islamic King of Grenada had him ambushed and imprisoned. The friends and colleagues of St Peter heard about this and sent a large sum of money as ransom, so that he could buy his freedom. But instead of spending it for his own deliverance, he spent it in freeing a number of woman and children who had also been imprisoned for their Faith and who were on the verge of converting to Islam, just so they could be set free. Our Lord was so pleased with this act of Christian charity that He came in Person to thank St Peter. One morning, a boy dressed as a slave came to serve the Saint’s Mass. Afterwards, the saint asked the boy some questions from the catechism as he usually did. The little boy answered so correctly and easily that St Peter Paschal was astonished and asked who he was? The child answered:
I am Jesus
and showed him the wounds in His hands and feet. Then He said:
As you in your love have willingly condemned yourself for the sake of My people, and have given freedom to them, I have made Myself your Prisoner.
When we put others first and serve, we draw closer to Christ. Jesus referred to Himself as a Ransom for many. The people in Jesus’ time would have known well what this meant, because ransoming prisoners was common. But Jesus has ransomed us from slavery to the devil, through His Passion and Death on the Cross. His whole life was a life of sacrifice and service. The Lord now remains with us as a Prisoner of Love in every Tabernacle.
How do we grow in the service of God and neighbour? Our sanctity lies in becoming through grace, what Christ is by nature: sons of God. Thus, firstly, a profound prayer life is necessary. In the month of the Holy Rosary, the Church reminds us of the power of power of the Holy Rosary. By contemplating the mysteries of Rosary, we love Jesus with the Heart of Mary. It is powerful spiritual weapon against the devil.
Confession should be at least monthly, and this sacrament is essential to remove mortal sin from our souls. For example, if we miss Sunday Mass through our own fault, we need to go to Confession and be in the State of Grace before receiving Holy Communion, otherwise if we receive Holy Communion unworthily, we commit a horrible sacrilege.
Making the Eucharist central to our lives and participating in Eucharistic Adoration outside Mass. This is Jesus present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament and He always gives us far more than we give Him and greatly appreciates the time we spend with Him.
There is a some very good information about he Divine Will in this link: https://divinemercyshrine.com.au/the-virgin-mary-in-the-kingdom-of-the-divine-willthe-virgin-mary/
Let’s all desire to live only in God’s Will, in order to die to all selfishness and imitate Our Lady and our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ in living a life a service. This is the new and divine holiness. Let’s desire and embrace this gift!
Praise be Jesus Christ, and His Holy Will now and forever!