March 12

cripture tells us that for the sake of the joy that lay ahead of him Christ endured the cross, thinking nothing of the shame of it. What exactly is meant by thinking nothing of the shame? The simple fact, as Saint Paul says, that Christ chose an ignominious death, that he chose it in full freedom because he was not subject to sin. By so doing Christ taught us to face disgrace boldly and make light of it.

Let me remind you of the goal he achieved: He has taken his seat at the right hand of God. You see the prize to be won in this conflict. Even if there were no reward to be gained, Christ's example would be enough to persuade us to endure all our trials willingly. In point of fact, we are told that rewards do lie ahead of us, and these no ordinary honors, but prizes of such magnitude that they cannot be described.

Therefore, whenever we ourselves have to suffer some disgrace, let us think of Christ, remembering that his whole life was filled with insults. He was continuously hearing himself called a madman, deceiver, and sorcerer, by the very people among whom he went about doing good, for whom he performed miracles, and to whom he revealed the works of God.

From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.

HTML text prepared by David P. Steelman