The disciples do not understand Jesus’s words about His coming suffering, even though this is not the first time He has tried to explain it to them.  They sense they should understand, and therefore pretend that they do.  But their bluff foils, because they fail to grasp the implications of His words for their own lives.  The real test of our understanding of Jesus is how we live.  Do we really  model ourselves on a Messiah who serves and suffers?

The words of today’s gospel strike us as an exaggeration.  Why would Jesus exaggerate? Perhaps to get us thinking about what is really important in this life; perhaps to challenge our assumptions and values.  Self–preservation is normally our highest value– not losing our lives, or our sight, or our hands.  But if “whoever wishes to save His life will lose it”, then we have to re-examine what real self-preservation means.  The death of the Son of God on the cross reverses normal expectations and calls us to re-examine our thinking.  It is those who lose their lives for the sake of Jesus who save them.

God Bless

Msgr. Powell