Matthew 10:7-10
Without Cost You Are To Give
“Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” Someone once told me that the Sacrament of Confession must truly come from God; otherwise, the Church would ask for a donation!
There is a sense of urgency in the matter of evangelization. Jesus tells his Apostles to go and proclaim, “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Now is the time for redemption. Now is the time to approach the Lord as my Savior and not my Judge. Now is the time to seek first the Kingdom of God.
Without cost you have received
What did the Apostles receive? Jesus Christ. The Lord gave himself to them, freely and without reserve. It was the Lord who chose them and prepared them for the daunting task of spreading The Word throughout the world. And they were to do it freely, without cost, because they had received the Word freely and without cost. As an American, this might appear to be bad advice. After all, don’t we value items that are more expensive than others? Don’t we compare price tags and assume that the more expensive brand is the better in quality? And yet, the Lord puts no price tag on our salvation. THANK GOD! For life-everlasting is priceless. Eternal life is the greatest pearl, the greatest treasure that man could receive. The Apostles left everything for it, suffered horribly at the hands of pagans because of it, but died singing as they headed towards it. Their commitment and dedication would make them authentic witnesses of the life-to-come. The Apostles, and all those who dedicate their lives to spreading the Word of God, inherit the Kingdom of heaven. But in doing so, they forfeit their lives in imitation of their Master and live a life similar to He who died for me! The Christian is called to be another Christ.
Without cost you are to give
What did the Apostles give to the world that was so priceless? What they had received: Jesus Christ – God, true love and friendship, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. Every father and mother on earth has a model to look up to; every son and daughter has the perfect image to kneel to. Today, the Lord calls us to be faithful and generous in our vocation as a Christian and as a family member because in both cases we have received much, freely, from heaven.
Since the cost is priceless and the reward, everlasting. Then our commitment must be unconditional.
Thats the truly meaning of give, just do it without hoping anything back
ReplyDelete"Now is the time to approach the Lord as my Savior and not my Judge"
ReplyDeleteThis really stands out to me today.
As Catholics it seems like the Judgement of God is emphasized most often, where other Christians are more into presenting Him as our Savior.
Savior sounds more appealing than judge.
I think I'm going to post that statement right in the front of my brain so I can rid myself of the fear and replace it with His mercy and forgiveness.
Thanks Father for taking the time to share your wisdom with us, it is enlightening:)
This is something God is teaching me: my sacrificial gift, given without asking or expecting anything in return, is precious to Him as a sign of my love for Him and my trust in His providence. It became easier when I stopped measuring my success by what I had and began measuring it by how I loved.
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