18TH FRIDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 16:24-28) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

FIRST READING - Dt 4:32-40

"For love of your ancestors he chose their descendants after them."

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy

³² Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since God created humankind upon the earth; ask from one end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of? ³³ Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? ³⁴ Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the Lord, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? ³⁵ All this you were allowed to see that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other. ³⁶ Out of the heavens he let you hear his voice to discipline you; on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard him speaking out of the fire. ³⁷ For love of your ancestors he chose their descendants after them and by his presence and great power led you out of Egypt, ³⁸ dispossessing before you nations greater and mightier than you, so as to bring you in and to give their land to you as a heritage, as it is today. ³⁹ This is why you must now acknowledge, and fix in your heart, that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. ⁴⁰ And you must keep his statutes and commandments which I command you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you forever.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 16:24-28

"What can one give in exchange for his life?"

✠From the Gospel according to Matthew

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,^[a] take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.^{[b] 26} What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? ^27 [c]For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct. ^28 [d]Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

18TH FRIDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 16:24-28)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God in today's Gospel reveals the essential condition for following the Lord: one must deny oneself, take up one's cross, and be willing to lose one's life for the sake of God.

God is omnipotent; He can do all things. He created mankind, granted them a joyful life, and filled them with His grace. All who desire to follow God must steadfastly live according to His commandments, for His instructions always bring goodness to humanity. God is a merciful Father; He never wishes for evil or injustice to befall His beloved children.

Today’s Word of God is a wise teaching that God wants to remind each person that is "What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" God wants to awaken people living in today’s modern world with this message: seek the Kingdom of Heaven, seek eternal life to come; do not worry about your earthly life, but rather be concerned for your soul's entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. Trust and rely on the power of the God of love; it is He who will grant eternal life in His Kingdom to all who dare to give up everything to follow Him.

Thanks be to God. Amen.