Peter began to say to Jesus,
‘We have given up everything and followed you.”
Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
Lectio (Reading)
Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.Meditatio (Reflecting)
Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
Oratio (Responding)
Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.This reading today is very encouraging, regarding the faithfulness of god, and the rewards of putting your trust in Him. But it can be easy to miss the caveat “with persecutions” that He adds at the end. Lots of people gloss over that, and focus on the “hundred times” promise. God rewards sacrifice, He honors the fact that we suffer for His sake, and He wants us to know that those sacrifices do not go unnoticed. But He also wants us to know that the evil one hates us, and what he hates even more is when humans are generous and sacrifice for each other.
The evil one will punish you for living according to God’s will, and those persecutions will test your resolve and push you back into living in the world, and according to his evil ways. But you must resist these temptations, and we must do so because of the last part of this promise today. If you persist in your sacrifice through the lords generosity, and despite the evil one’s persecutions, you will attain eternal life in the age to come. That is a gift that is worth more than anything that this world could ever offer. That is the point of everything that we are doing in this life, and it is the goal that we should all be striving for.
Contemplatio (Contemplating)
Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.Resolutio (Resolving)
Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.Oh lord, help me today to do your will, sacrifice what is needed, and to endure the hardships that the evil one will throw at me. Amen.