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Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
1 Corinthians 1:17–25
Crucifixion was one of the cruelest forms of punishment in the ancient world.
It was reserved for rebels,
runaway slaves,
and those who challenged the power of Rome.
The condemned person was stripped not only of clothing,
but also of dignity.
The death was slow.
The pain was terrible.
And even after death, the shame continued.
The body was often left for birds and dogs,
then thrown away like something worthless.
And yet, this sign of torture has become for us the sign of hope,
protection,
and salvation.
How did this happen?
Only the risen Christ could teach the Church to understand the cross.
After His resurrection, Jesus opened the Scriptures to His disciples.
He showed them that the Messiah had to suffer and so enter His glory.
Then the disciples began to see.
Isaac carrying the wood up the mountain pointed to Jesus carrying the cross.
The suffering servant of Isaiah, wounded for the sins of others,
pointed to Jesus crucified.
The righteous man condemned by the wicked to a shameful death
pointed to Jesus on Golgotha.
What the world called defeat, God revealed as victory.
What the world called weakness, God revealed as power.
What the world called foolishness, God revealed as wisdom.
Paul says:
Christ crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
This is difficult for us.
We think power means control,
success,
force,
the ability to win.
We think wisdom means cleverness,
strategy,
knowing how to rise above others.
But God’s power is different.
God’s wisdom is different.
God conquers by love.
God saves by self-gift.
God answers violence with forgiveness.
God enters shame and fills it with glory.
Paul did not preach the cross only with words.
He carried it in his own body.
His life was hard.
He knew danger,
rejection,
poverty,
prison,
and suffering.
Yet he was not empty.
He was not lost.
He had found the love that gives meaning to everything.
Christ loved him.
Christ died for him.
Christ called him.
And after that, Paul could never live as before.
Saint Augustine also discovered this love after years of searching.
His restless heart found rest only in God.
The cross tells us why.
We are loved not because we are strong,
not because we are wise,
not because we are worthy,
but because God is love.
Today, stand before the crucified Christ.
Look at Him.
Stay there.
Let the cross speak.
There, you will find the power of God,
the wisdom of God,
and the love that can change your life.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Content License
© 2025 Krakus.
Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
(Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial).