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Gospel Reading for February 21, 2025 – Mark 8: 34- 9: 1
GREATEST HOMECOMING
Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life? Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” He also said to them, “Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power.”
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Part and parcel of the life of a Christian is denying ourselves of worldly desires and taking up our crosses. The crosses we have to carry are the consequences of following Jesus, because good and evil will always be at odds with each other, until the END OF THE WORLD when Jesus will come back and be our judge, where the goats and the sheep will be separated from each other, with the goats on the left and the sheep on the right (Matthew 25: 32-33).
Some of us may ask if it is worth being a Christian at all, living a life with crosses to carry. The life of a Christian will not be worth living, if by following Jesus, we will be deprived of true happiness, peace, and the dignity of being made in God’s image and likeness. But, the greatest reward of all is that of having the chance to live with God in happiness and peace eternally! It will be the GREATEST HOMECOMING ever!
Lord Jesus, we look forward to the day when you will come in glory and we pray that we will be among the sheep you will put on your right!
