CAN WE DRINK THE CHALICE OF CHRIST? - 7/25/22 (Feast of Saint James, Apostle)

Matthew 20:22b-23

“Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to Him, “We can.” He replied, “My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at My right and at My left, this is not Mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072522.cfm

For more information on St. James the Apostle, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/july-25---saint-james-apostle/

For the examination of conscience and guide to confession, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

For more information on how to pray the rosary, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/the-most-holy-rosary/

Blessed Feast of St. James, the Apostle! St. James is one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, and he is also the brother of St. John the Beloved. In today's gospel reading, their mother asked our Lord and made a request to Him if they could be seated at His right and left in His Kingdom. Our Lord responded that these seats were prepared by the Father, and the Catholic Church understood it to be referring to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph. It's important for us to reflect on the other response of Jesus when He asked them a question, "Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”

In reality, this is the same question that our Lord is asking us today. Can we drink the chalice of Christ? It's not necessarily wrong for us to desire to enter His Kingdom and be glorified with Christ. It's truly pleasing to the Lord, but Jesus is reminding us of the necessity of sacrifice in order to be united with Him forever. The chalice that Jesus received was the chalice of suffering. Despite the fact that He was wounded and crucified due to our sins, He suffered and died for our salvation. Why is there a need for us to suffer if our Savior already does it anyway? Jesus wants us to remember that we will be judged on the basis of love, and sacrifice is the fruit of love. 

Pure love is a type of love where we can serve our neighbors, not because they praise us or things go our way, but solely because we love them. The greatest example of this is Jesus Christ. His love never faded even when He was offering Himself on the cross. It's precisely because of our sinfulness that He gave Himself as a sacrifice to the Father. When we become faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church and live out our faith, we may be mocked and criticized by the world. Even with things that are not related to the faith, we can also be belittled by other people, and it's surely hurtful when we see them mocking God and using His name in vain. But, despite these instances, do we still love them and serve them just as what Jesus did to us? 

God desires for us to offer ourselves as a sacrifice to Him, even in small ways such as bearing the fault of our neighbors. What are the things we can do to persevere in doing God's will amidst such difficulties? It is necessary for us to find strength from God in our prayers, especially by meditating on the Passion of Christ. When Jesus asked the disciples if they could drink His chalice, He was inviting them to reflect on the sacrifice He would do out of love for us. We are given the same invitation by Christ to imagine in our minds His sufferings and crucifixion. He is also calling us to reflect on the sacrifices of the saints such as those who loved their enemies despite being mocked, and even the martyrs like St. James who was killed by a sword under the reign of King Herod. This meditation will help us to understand deeper God's love for us and to imitate the virtues of Christ and the saints. 

Pondering on the passion of Jesus and the sacrifices of the saints will prepare us for the sufferings we will encounter in our lives. When St. James and the disciples said that they could drink His chalice, they were only able to bear the sufferings they experienced in the name of Christ through God's grace and not by their own strength. This means that we should always beg for strength and the grace to be patient with people while we hear the negative words they might say at us. After such moments, let's not fall to the tendency of hiding our pain. God wants us to acknowledge the pain we experienced because honesty will lead us to humility. May we ponder on how other people and our wounds affect us, and from the bottom of our hearts, let's forgive them for their sins. May we not lose hope because the fact that we experience tribulations means that God wants us to be glorified with Him in heaven if we are willing to depend on Him as we imitate His sacrifice in our own little ways. We will be sustained in our prayers in preparation for the Kingdom of God in heaven. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic