September 16th, 2018

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

LECTIONARY
131

FIRST READING
IS 50:5-9A

The Lord GOD opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.

The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
He is near who upholds my right;
if anyone wishes to oppose me,
let us appear together.
Who disputes my right?
Let that man confront me.
See, the Lord GOD is my help;
who will prove me wrong?

PSALM
PS 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

Response: I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

I love the LORD because he has heard
my voice in supplication,
because he has inclined his ear to me
the day I called.

The cords of death encompassed me;
the snares of the netherworld seized upon me;
I fell into distress and sorrow,
and I called upon the name of the LORD,
"O LORD, save my life!"

Gracious is the LORD and just;
yes, our God is merciful.
The LORD keeps the little ones;
I was brought low, and he saved me.

For he has freed my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
I shall walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.

SECOND READING
JAS 2:14-18

What good is it, my brothers and sisters,
if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear
and has no food for the day,
and one of you says to them,
"Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, "
but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it?
So also faith of itself,
if it does not have works, is dead.

Indeed someone might say,
"You have faith and I have works."
Demonstrate your faith to me without works,
and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.

GOSPEL
MK 8:27-35

Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that I am?"
They said in reply,
"John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets."
And he asked them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said to him in reply,
"You are the Christ."
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the gospel will save it."

Daily Reflection

16th September 2018

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Gospel portrays Peter (and the Christian community) as lacking in understanding about the concept of a dying Messiah. Jesus, therefore, says “get behind me Satan” for the way Peter (and Mark’s community) thinks “is not as God does but as humans do”. Everyone wanted to share the life that the Risen Jesus had achieved; the problem was achieving Jesus’ death, which opened the door to that life.

Isaiah and St. James clarify how this is possible. “Morning after morning,” says Isaiah, “Yahweh opens my ear.” We are expected to hit the ground listening, for God will surely fine-tune our hearing to what He expects of us.

James will add the second dimension: “Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you through my works.” Listening entails both hearing as well as action for “faith without works is dead”.

Clearly, Christ doesn’t expect us to reproduce his death but most certainly to die to all that is wrong in our lives.

Christ asks you the same question, “Who do you say I am?” Your answer will determine whether you are merely a “Fan” or a true “Follower” of Jesus.