The Father will honour whoever serves me

10 AUGUST (Jn 12,24-26)

The heavenly Father has decided to give every man a very high honour: making him his adopted son in Christ Jesus, in Him, with Him; so that He can elevate him to an almost divine dignity, making him share in his very nature. It is no longer enough that God is honored for himself, in his Law or his statutes, as he required in the Old Testament. It is not sufficient to observe this or that provision. All this is not enough any more. We entered the New Covenant. Today, everything passes through Jesus Christ.

A man of God came to Eli and said to him: “This is what the Lord says: ‘I went so far as to reveal myself to your father’s family when they were in Egypt as slaves to the house of Pharaoh. I chose them out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priests, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the ephod before me; and I assigned all the oblations of the Israelites to your father’s family. Why do you keep a greedy eye on my sacrifices and on the offerings which I have prescribed? And why do you honor your sons in preference to me, fattening yourselves with the choicest part of every offering of my people Israel?’ This, therefore, is the oracle of the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I said in the past that your family and your father’s family should minister in my presence forever. But now,’ the Lord declares, ‘away with this! for I will honor those who honor me, but those who spurn me shall be accursed. Yes, the time is coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father’s family, so that no man in your family shall reach old age. You shall witness as a disappointed rival all the benefits enjoyed by Israel, but there shall never be an old man in your family. I will permit some of your family to remain at my altar, to wear out their eyes in consuming greed; but the rest of the men of your family shall die by the sword. You shall have a sign in what will happen to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: both shall die on the same day. I will choose a faithful priest who shall do what I have in heart and mind. I will establish a lasting house for him which shall function in the presence of my anointed forever. Then whoever is left of your family will come to grovel before him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and will say: Appoint me, I beg you, to a priestly function, that I may have a morsel of bread to eat.'” (1Sam 2,27-36).

God honoured his people in the conversion to him, to his Word. When he went out of the Commandments, he was despised by all other peoples.

Thus says the Lord: See! I will restore the tents of Jacob, his dwellings I will pity; City shall be rebuilt upon hill, and palace restored as it was. From them will resound songs of praise, the laughter of happy men. I will make them not few, but many; they will not be tiny, for I will glorify them. His sons shall be as of old, his assembly before me shall stand firm; I will punish all his oppressors. His leader shall be one of his own, and his rulers shall come from his kin. When I summon him, he shall approach me; how else should one take the deadly risk of approaching me? says the Lord. You shall be my people, and I will be your God. See, the storm of the Lord! His wrath breaks forth In a whirling storm that bursts upon the heads of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not abate until he has done and fulfilled what he has determined in his heart. When the time comes, you will fully understand. (Jer 30, 18-24)

Even that is no longer sufficient. Today, the Lord calls man to a total gift of life to him, however, passing through faith in Christ Jesus. Christ is the only way by which man can rise up to God to be honored by Him.

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.

The Father does not recognize, does not welcome, does not honour, but his Son Jesus. He is his glory, blessing, justice, charity, and eternal life. Everything is in Him, with Him, through Him, because he is everything. If we want to be all things to the Father, we must be all through Jesus, surrendering our lives to Him for the fulfillment of his will. The will of Christ Jesus is the way to be one for him. Therefore, the sequel of Jesus becomes the sequel of the Father. Nobody follows the Father, if he does not follow Lord Jesus.
Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels, and Saints make us be one with Jesus.