Choosing Together: With Jesus and Mary

Jesus Christ Chose the Difficult Path of Love

- We want others to respect us, but we also want to be able to respect and even forgive
others. Respect for Rights is a basic value for us.
- Faith in God is our noblest value. God is the root of all our human rights.

Respect for rights: our strong belief and action that every human being, no matter who
he or she may be, has rights that should be respected and upheld at all times.

Our human rights stems from our dignity. Human dignity is God’s identity bestowed upon
us which makes us worthy of respect and love. It is also through this dignity that we are
able to see the worth of every person we meet.

Scriptural Reading
They came to a place named Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here
while I pray.”  He took with him Peter, James, and John, and began to be troubled and
distressed. Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and
keep watch.” He advanced a little and fell to the ground and prayed that if it were
possible the hour might pass by him; he said, “Abba, Father,all things are possible to
you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.”
Mark 14:32—36

Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will...Jesus foresaw the
sufferings he would face as he went through the agony in the garden. He still chose to do
God’s will, and walk the difficult path of love.

Catholic Doctrine

Doctrinal Truth 1. Jesus Christ chose the difficult path of love in order to fulfill his
Father’s will and save us.
1.1. Jesus’ love for us mirrors the love of the Father to Him. He asks us to obey His
commandments and remain in His love. (John 15:9-10)
1.2. The difficult path of love lies upon its own meaning: It is patient, it is kind, it does not
envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-
 seeking, it is not easily angered and it keeps no records of wrong. (1 Corinthians
13:4-5)
1.3. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we are sinners, Christ died for
us. (Romans 5:8)

Doctrinal Truth 2. Jesus came to save us, not as a powerful king, but as a servant who
loved the poor, the sick, and sinners.

2.1. For then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world.
But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the
sacrifice of himself. (Hebrew 9:6)
2.2. Jesus’ humility in coming in our midst is worth reflecting so that we too can go into
the world and serve the ones in need with utmost humility.
2.3. Jesus came into the world in order to call the sinners so that they will repent and
believe in the gospel. (Mark 1:15)

Doctrinal Truth 3. Jesus suffered and died on the cross because he wanted to prove his
love for God and for all of us.

3.1. Jesus taught us how noble love is; when one offered one’s life for a friend. (John
15:13)

3.2. This is Love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as
an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

3.3. For God so loved the world that He gave us His Only Son, so that everyone who
believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
(John 3:16-17)

Morals
Guided by the 8th and 10th commandments, let us respect the rights of everyone and not
steal or cheat.

4.1. To love is not to envy (1Corinthians 13:4). It is not rude and does not keep records of
wrong (1 Corinthians 13:5. When we truly love the person we accept them of their
totality; of their whole being.
 4.2. One must value honesty in all their undertakings because a dishonest person shall
spread conflict and a whisperer who separates close friends. (Proverbs 16:28)

4.3. Those who live in dishonesty are children of the devil since he was a murderer and
does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks
of his nature because he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44)

Worship
Let us thank God for the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, and ask God to
help us walk Christ’s difficult path of love.

5.1. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we were saved from our sinful origin and
through the Sacrament of Confirmation that the grace of baptism is strengthened. Let us
praise God for holding us tight so that we will not fall back to the evil one.

5.2. Just as we partake the body and blood of Christ in every Sacrament we receive
especially in Confirmation, let us also affirm our faith by asking God to lead us in
showing love to those people who are difficult to love.