Sunday 15th of September 2024 - The Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah 50:5-9/ Psalm 114(116)/ James 2:14-18/ Mark 8:27-35

One of the most challenging aspects of ministry can be when encountering those who are suffering. The often-asked question, particularly from those of no faith to those of faith, is ‘how can a loving God permit such terrible suffering’? It is a difficult question, but the answer lies in the person of Jesus, God who became human, who lived, suffered, and died as one of us. The real question emerging from the scripture today is not why do we suffer but who do we say Jesus is? In answering that question in faith, we start to see Jesus for who he is, and we begin to become disciples, followers, of his. This discipleship calls us to action, action which may well mean that we will share in the suffering and death that Jesus endured. It is only by following Jesus and bearing his cross that we can also follow him into a resurrected immortal life. The root of all suffering is the fall of humanity. The fall is a consequence of the free will that we have been given by God. It is an important gift but if used incorrectly will lead us to become obstructions to the will of God rather than his partners. The gift of free will is precious and allows us to make unconditional decisions but the consequences of free will are immense. We either respond to our calling and become disciples or we reject it and decline to accept God’s love. Humanity has made the wrong decisions consistently over time and it is only by the actions of Jesus through his life, suffering, death, and resurrection that we can be saved.

The suffering we witness around us remains a puzzle. It seems sometimes that those least deserving suffer the most. Jesus was the least deserving of anyone, but he suffered and died in an horrific manner giving suffering a new meaning. The identity of the suffering servant in the first reading is not as important as what he accomplished. His role as a prophet comes through his rejection, suffering, abuse, and death, but in the end, God held up his servant. Jesus followed the story of the Old Testament suffering servant as if he was acting out a script. The similarities between the two are striking. We see in both the acceptance of the will of God, with personal sacrifice not in self interest but in the interest of God’s people and the fulfilment of God’s will.

The message from today reminds us of what it is to be a Christian. Through baptism we are configured to the person of Jesus and called to be his disciples, his followers. In following a Christian way of life there will be hardships and suffering because we are called to share in bearing the cross that Jesus bore for us. James, in the extract from his letter, speaks of the call to action we receive with the gift of faith. We do not earn our redemption through the good works we do but these good works are a consequence of the gift of faith that we have received. Our faith should express itself through works of love. Failure to express our faith in these works renders our faith meaningless. The one flows from the other, faith and good works go together. Faith is a gift, a gift that we cannot earn or deserve but it should prompt good works in us especially towards the poor and needy.

Sacrifice is not a popular word today, going without, doing penance in the service of God, are out of fashion. Everywhere we look we are encouraged to grab for the best of everything. Our home, our parish, our community, can become uncaring and self-centred, but if we look around, we will see the cross-bearers are always there, their faith being put into action. There are many small ways that we can become daily cross-bearers with Christ. Our faith should call us to take up these opportunities whenever they present themselves.

Jesus asks us today, ‘who do you say I am’. Our faith should enable us to answer as Peter did, ‘you are the Christ’. Peter and the others close to Jesus had seen glimpses of his mission and identity. This is a turning point in Mark’s gospel as Jesus starts his journey towards Jerusalem, his passion, death, and resurrection, the fulfilment of the promised hope laid out in the prophesies. Peter saw who Jesus was before the completion of his ministry. We have the advantage of being able to see the fulfilment of scripture through the New Testament and with hindsight. It should therefore be easier for us to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah, the Saviour who repairs the damage done by our mistakes. Even with this clearer vision we are still prone to do the wrong thing, to join Peter in his attempt to divert Jesus from fulfilling the will of his father. However good intentioned Peter was he still sought to obstruct the will of God prompting Jesus to say, ‘get behind me Satan’.

Through the gift of our faith, we come to know Jesus and recognise who he is. A consequence of our faith should be the good works that flow from it, good works towards those who are disadvantaged in the world. These works do not earn us our place in heaven but flow naturally from the faith we have that tells us who Jesus is. The faith that allows us to see Jesus in ourselves and in others. It is always going to be a challenge to think in God’s way rather than in a human way. If we are to be true followers of Christ, we must renounce our selfish ways and take up those daily crosses that present themselves. We must not be obstacles to God’s plan but willing helpers always seeking ways to fulfil it.

God Bless Brendan