To the Ends of the Earth: Witness – Week 2, Day 1 – As Fathers, Our Foundation is God Alone
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But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:7–11
It can seem so absurd: dying to live, being weak to find strength, and enduring our sufferings while counting it all joy. Our faith often appears all backwards and upside down. The world tells us to be strong, to look out for number one, and to win by accumulating the most possessions and gaining the best position. Yet, as Catholics, we have been shown this incredibly better way, the way of the cross. As we surrender the self to God, we gain the entire universe. We are freed from the power of sin and given the power to overcome anything for the sake of the Gospel.
When we look at our faith through the lens of heaven, these opposites come into their right perspective. We see the absurdity of putting our insignificant earthly lives first, and we experience the joy that comes from receiving the Spirit of our Savior. With joy we are willing to add our lives to the building up of the Church and leave a legacy that will inspire generations to come. We are able to discard our painful past and gaze upon new horizons of possibilities as we live for him. In the end, we will experience the full reward of our salvation with all those who have chosen to lose all and gain Christ.
Questions for reflection
How have you experienced the profound truth of the seeming contradictions of the Gospel in your own life?
How do you explain the absurdity of the Gospel to those who oppose or ridicule it?
How can you share the power of the resurrection with someone else in your life today?
Praying with Scripture
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Phil 1:21)
You can learn more about the To the Ends of the Earth Series HERE
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Mark C. McCann is an author and Ministry Consultant with more than 30 years of writing and ministry experience. He has published articles for a number of Catholic magazines and websites including St. Anthony Messenger, Emmanuel Magazine, Liguorian Magazine, Catholic Stand, the Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He recently published the 4-volume Catholic men's devotional, To the Ends of the Earth, as well as the 2021 Advent Daybreaks devotional and 2022 Lenten Daybreaks devotional with Liguori Publishing. He has also released his End Times novel series, Jacob's Dream: The Vision and Jacob's Dream: The Final Battle. He was a radio host and producer for 8 years at a Connecticut Christian radio station and has worked as a Catholic religion teacher/campus minister and a parish youth minister. He has also served the Norwich, CT Diocese as a Youth Ministry Director and Family Life Director. He currently lives in Connecticut with his Proverbs 31 wife, where together they have brought up three incredible children. He strives each day to live out his call to be a man of words. You can learn more about Mark and his writing at www.wordsnvisions.com.
