SATURDAY, June 26

Romans 6:1-11. Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

The Athenians thought Saint Paul was talking about two gods, one named Jesus and the other named the resurrection, a heartbreaking experience for the preacher. The mistake persists.

There are those who believe in Jesus but not in the resurrection. They mean to follow him even though they have no hope of anything at the end but a sense of duty well done. They are apt to say that they accept the Golden Rule and the Sermon on the Mount, and even the cross as the world's most heroic example of self-giving, but beyond that, "We must not trust in imponderables."

On the other hand, there are those who believe in the resurrection but not in Jesus. They expect a continuance of existence no matter how good or bad they have been. Newman's sermon, "Holiness necessary for future blessedness," is dismissed as old-fashioned.

Jesus and the resurrection are inseparable. "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile....If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:17-19). (1954)

PRAY for the Diocese of Durgapur (North India)

Ps 107:33-43, 108:1-6(7-13) * 33; Numbers 20:14-29; Matthew 21:1-11

View the daily Lectionary Readings at Satucket.com.
Or view the Bible passages at Biblegateway.com.

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