Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Thursday after Ash Wednesday, March 6, 2025

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Deuteronomy 30: 15-20; Rs psalm 1: 1-2.3.4.6; Luke 9: 22-25LOSS OF LIFE The theme for our meditation today is: Loss of Life.In a number of catacombs within the city of Rome and a number in other cities,thousands and even millions of ancient tombs have been found. There were buriedChristians who were killed by the power of the Roman empire that was pagan.Those killed, only a small number are known by name and are designated saintsand martyrs. Most of them are unknown. They all experienced what the scripturessay, which is to lose of life for the sake of the gospel and because of theirfaith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We can mention some of them, namely Saints Perpetua,Felisitas, Agatha, Calistus, Alexander and Vitalis, they were martyrs in thecity of Rome, around the 1st and 2nd centuries of theChristianity. Such a loss of life is about self-sacrifice for following in thefootsteps of Christ. This certainly has nothing to do with the loss of life inmany other forms that are not based on reason following the path of JesusChrist. Losing of life to Jesus Christ is a way to achieve perfection byentering into the requirements set by Jesus Christ for each of His followers. In a strict sense, a person experiences the death ofhis body, because he defends his faith in Christ and the truth that guards hisentire life. Jesus is an example of this type of death, because He Himself wascondemned to death and died on the cross. This way was followed by a largenumber of followers of Christ to this day. Recently there was a news of amissionary priest in West Africa, who was fighting to defend the Church and thepeople in his parish from the rebel attacks. He was willing to die for theChurch, and he deserved to be called a martyr. Models of loss of life like thisare found all over the world. In a broader and spiritual sense, the loss of life isa true surrender to God through piety, death, service, and communion ofconsecrated life. Jesus said this not only to the disciples who followed Him,but to all of us. Marriage between a man and a woman demands that each loses oneself,and must be united with his or her partner. In religious and priestly life, onemust renounce all one's own pleasures, in order to be one with the spirit of religiouslife and as a priest. This is the basic way of life in answering God's call toeach of us. In any case, a sincere and responsible answer to thatcall is the same as choosing grace and life, not choosing curses, as the bookof Deuteronomy emphasizes in today's first reading. Let us pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord our God, maywe be willing and happy in all our sacrifices, for our salvation. Our Fatherwho art in heaven ... In the name of the Father...