26th sunday in ordinary time

Posted on by Cassie

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

 

25th sunday in ordinary time

Posted on by Cassie

Jesus leaves Galilee and begins His journey to Jerusalem where He will die and rise.  He is moving from the edge of Judaism.  Along the way He reminds His disciples what this confrontation will mean.  Again the disciples fail to grasp what He is saying.

Jesus tells them that the way to greatness lies not through advancing to higher positions but through taking the lowest position— and staying there.  Be servants, He tells them.  The competition of the disciples for top honors was exactly the opposite of what they should have been seeking as followers of Jesus.  True discipleship and true greatness mean humble service of others.

Notice the example He gives.  He brings a little child in front of them. He then talks not about the child, but about the person who cares for the child.  He says: “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me, but the One who sent me.”  Jesus does not present the child as a model.  The model is the person who takes care of the child. In the Hebrew society, the child had no social status, therefore the child was considered unimportant.  Jesus is calling us to become the servant of those who are unimportant.

Serving the powerless is serving Jesus, and serving Jesus is serving God.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell

24th sunday in ordinary time

Posted on by Cassie

In the gospel, Jesus is identified as the Messiah.  Even though His journey to Jerusalem will lead Him to suffering and death, and even though Peter tries to talk Him out of going there, Jesus refuses to turn back and resolves to go through with the Father’s plan.  Jesus can already see before Him the cross on Calvary, and yet He will not let Himself quit His messianic task.

To be a disciple of Jesus means that we can not allow ourselves to quit whenever some cross confronts us.  Instead we have to take up that cross and resolutely follow in the steps of Jesus.

Whether our cross is unfair treatment of others, loneliness or discouragement, or whether it is the loss of our health, our job or someone we love, if we are truly Christian, then we cannot allow ourselves to quit carrying the cross.

Instead, we have to believe that God is near to uphold us and is indeed our help.  We need to believe that with Him, we will not only survive, but we will also overcome and triumph.  We have the Lord’s promise that even though we may lose something—perhaps even our life—in the end we will save it, provided we are faithful and don’t give up.

This is the Christian message.  This is what we are called to believe.

God Bless

Msgr. Powell