Today's Gospel Reading - Sunday, September 16, 2012 with Reflection

 1^ST READING - Isaiah 50:5-9

P S A L M - Psalm 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

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

1 I love the Lord because he has heard my voice in supplication, 2because he has inclined his ear to me the day I called. (R) 3 The cords of death encompassed me; the snares of the netherworld seized upon me; I fell into distress and sorrow, 4 and I called upon the name of the Lord, “O Lord, save my life!” (R) 5 Gracious is the Lord and just; yes, our God is merciful. 6 The Lord keeps the little ones; I was brought low, and he saved me. (R) 8 For he has freed my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. 9 I shall walk before the Lord in the lands of the living. (R)

2^ND READING - James 2:14-18

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.

Mark 8:27-35

27 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?” 28 They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” 30 Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 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. 32 He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 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.” 34 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. 35 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.”

SABBATH

THE MESSIAH HAS TO SUFFER One of the great mysteries of love is the willingness of people to endure suffering for and because of it. The Jews had an image of what they hoped or thought the Messiah would be, and suffering was not part of it. So when Jesus started to talk to His disciples about having to suffer, they could not comprehend it. This is why Peter is repelled by the suggestion of Jesus having to suffer. Yet Jesus is aware that this is all a part of what He has come to do. Suffering has always been one of the great mysteries in life. The reality is that it is only in relation to the suffering of Jesus that we can make sense of human suffering. Jesus’ suffering on the cross gives God the right to be able to affirm to us that everything will be all right in the end. God, in the person of Jesus, has endured human suffering to show us the way through it up to His resurrection. It is the resurrection of Jesus and His return to His Father in heaven that is the final word on human suffering. This reminds me of the words in the opening chapter of John’s Gospel where he tells us that the darkness or sin in the world is unable to overcome the light or goodness that finds its origin in God. The goodness of God has overcome the evil of sin in the definitive statement of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. What looked like a victory for sin, namely the death of Jesus on the cross, becomes the means of sin’s ultimate defeat! Thus we can see why Jesus had to suffer. Through the resurrection, which is God the Father’s answer to the suffering and death of His Son, we are given the hope and grace to endure suffering ourselves. And it is a matter of simply enduring — our suffering can have meaning and purpose if we choose to unite it with the suffering of Jesus through faith. In this way our suffering becomes both powerful intercession and redemptive. All of the great men and women of faith had to endure suffering of one kind or another. Suffering is a part of human existence — we may as well make the best of it! Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What is your attitude to human suffering? Do you see any redemptive value in it? Holy Spirit, help me to understand the Way of the Cross in my life more fully so I can live it more faithfully. Sts. Cornelius, pope, and Cyprian, bishop, martyrs, pray for us. Do you want to receive this in your email?  To get Bo Sanchez to send it to you personally, log-on to http://kerygmafamily.com. Lots of surprises await.