Sunday, September 15, 2024

 

TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

15 SEPTEMBER 2024

 

            Ever since leaving the Easter Season and returning to Ordinary Time, we have been listening to the Gospel according to Saint Mark.  He has been telling us about the early ministry of Jesus in Galilee.  In his hometown of Nazareth, Jesus had read from the Prophet Isaiah and announced that he was the promised and long-awaited Messiah.  Even though the locals could not believe in him, he called others who left everything and became his disciples.  They heard his teaching and witnessed his miracles to verify his identity.  He then chose twelve of them and sent them in pairs on a mission.  They accomplished miracles in his name and returned in triumph.  As their faith in him deepened, the opposition to him increased.  The religious leaders were beginning to plot against him and exploring ways to eliminate him.

            Today, Jesus leads his disciples to Caesarea Philippi, an area named for a local governor and his patron, Caesar.  They gather near the shrine dedicated to Pan, the pagan god of agricultural growth and fertility.  He asks his disciples to tell him the gossip about his identity.  They respond that some claim that he is John the Baptist.  Others claim that he is Elijah or one of the prophets.  Then he asks the key question: “Who do you say that I am?”  Peter responds with the correct answer: “You are the Christ.” 

            Then he tells them not to tell anyone, because he needs to clarify his role as the Messiah. He will not be a messiah who defeats the Romans.   He confirms that the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes will win the battle and have him executed.  He will be the suffering servant who will defeat the power of sin and death by entering into death itself.  Peter takes him aside and rebukes him, because Peter cannot imagine that his trusted friend and mentor would have to undergo such a horrible fate.  Jesus strongly rebukes him and calls him “Satan,” the one who tempted him in the desert to depart from the will of his Father.  Jesus then tells them that if they want to be his authentic followers, they must accept the same fate.  They have accepted the gift of faith that he has offered.  Now, they must live that faith by surrendering themselves to the incredible love that Jesus will embrace.  As authentic followers, they too must deny themselves and take up the cross of putting others and needs of others first.  They had not earned the gift of faith.  They had received it feely and without pay.  Now, they must embrace the implications of living that faith and spreading it to others.

            That is exactly what Saint James is saying in the second reading.  He acknowledges that faith is a free and unearned gift.  Like the other disciples of Jesus Christ, he is grateful for that gift and has openly accepted it.  But then he spells out the implications of living that faith.  An authentic faith in Jesus Christ involves embracing the cross and putting the needs of others first.  He gives a specific example.  If a disciple sees a brother or sister who has no clothing and no food and simply wishes them well, then that disciple is not carrying a cross or entering into self-denial.  Saint James points out that this faith is dead without the good works that would allow them to provide clothing and food to the poor person.

            This is the message for every one of us, who are disciples of Jesus Christ. Like Peter, we know that we are not following the teachings of a great human leader or prophet.  We are disciples of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who has defeated the power of sin and death by embracing his cross and giving his life completely to us.  When we are dismissed from this Mass, we are challenged to display our faith in very definite works of mercy and compassion.  Peter may have balked at first.  But he will eventually understand and embrace the dying of Jesus Christ and to share in his rising.  He challenges us to do the same.

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