The Second Reading for this Sunday includes one of the most famous description of Christ in the New Testament, stating that Christ, "though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:5-8). Christ is God Himself, who became incarnate, taking on human nature. He lived among us as one of us. He did not use his divine powers for his own glory but only to perform miracles in support of his proclamation of the Gospel message. At the culmination of his earthly ministry, he accepted death upon the Cross, in atonement for our sins.
As Christians, we are all called to be like Christ. We are called to invite Christ into our lives, into our very being, and become channels of Christ's love. We are to be humble like Christ, regarding "others as more important than" ourselves (Philippians 2:3), as St. Paul says. We are to love sacrificially, giving of ourselves to others not just from the surplus of our lives, but from the very core of our being. Sacrificial giving also means that we are to be crucified for each other, as Christ was crucified for us. For some of us, the Cross might mean literally dying in service of others. But for most of us the Cross entails daily acts of unselfish self-giving, serving those around us in small ways and great ones. Taking care of our children when we don't feel like it, being there for elderly parents even when it's hard, visiting a lonely family member in a retirement home instead of watching movies -- all these acts and more are examples of sacrificial love.
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Photo Credit: Golgotha, the site of the Crucifixion of Christ (c) 2016 by Zoltan Abraham.