"Whoever wishes to come after must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." (Mk 8:34)
FIRST READING from the Book of Isaiah: Is 50:5-9a
The Lord GOD opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
He is near who upholds my right;
if anyone wishes to oppose me,
let us appear together.
Who disputes my right?
Let that man confront me.
See, the Lord GOD is my help;
who will prove me wrong?
SECOND READING from the Letter of James: Jas 2:14-18
What good is it, my brothers and sisters,
if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear
and has no food for the day,
and one of you says to them,
"Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, "
but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it?
So also faith of itself,
if it does not have works, is dead.
Indeed someone might say,
"You have faith and I have works."
Demonstrate your faith to me without works,
and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY: Mk 8:27-35
From the Gospel according to Mark
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?"
They said in reply,
"John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets."
And he asked them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said to him in reply,
"You are the Christ."
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
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.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
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."
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.
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."
TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Mk 8:27–35)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
The Word of God today, God the Father informs humanity of the death of Jesus Christ.
God the Father sacrificed His only Son in exchange for all mankind, because of His boundless love for humanity. A profound love that surpasses human understanding, causing mankind to wonder: "Is the sacrifice of the only Son of God the Father a loss under the yoke of death? Is it a shame, a suffering without any value to those who believe? No, it isn't! What God the Father wants to say here, through His death, He teaches humans that: The value of that sacrifice is because of "Obedience", because of Love.
It is love that will conquer death.
It is love that drives out Satan and brings humanity closer to God.
Through that, God the Father wishes to give humanity more grace of faith in the God of Love.
Therefore, today's word of God teaches humans to know the plan of the love of Jesus Christ: He sacrificed Himself to die to save humankind. God's plan of salvation will take place gradually according to the plan of the Holy Trinity.
The words that Jesus Christ taught today are the words that God foretold to those who want to have eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. They must go through difficulties, challenges, and persecution and will be condemned and eliminated. Because God Himself has set a shining example for humanity about love, about that great sacrifice. God the Father wants people to know that: to defeat death, to have victory over death, the sin that Satan brings, humans must sacrifice themselves, they must give up their human nature completely to obey the will of God the Father.
Only God's will, only His Word can bring eternal life to humanity. Because Jesus is the perfect example for human beings. His life is the light that guides humans to His Kingdom - the place that humankind must seek and reach.
God is Love. He always brings the best things to mankind, but we must go through suffering, and challenges like the Only Son of God experienced. We must dare to give up the temporary happiness that this world brings because those are only temptations of Satan.
As in today's Gospel, Saint Peter displeased Jesus when he "took Him aside and began to rebuke Him" because His teachings were not in accordance with his own will because he only sought glory, honor, and happiness in this world.
That is also the warning words of God the Father to His children today: to stay away from Satan's temptations of lust, physical passions, pleasures, and the false peace that Satan spreads to deceive us.
The teachings of Jesus Christ are words of truth, words of love for those who believe in Him, the One who died and was resurrected for humanity, for those who live according to His teachings, courageously proclaim their faith; courageously carry the cross with Him up to Calvary, ready to die with Him, then He will fulfill His promise to give them eternal life in His Kingdom.
That is also God's earnest call to humanity today. Take on your shoulders the sufferings of others; nail your flesh to the Cross and courageously sacrifice yourself to die along with Him. That is also the meaning of giving up bad habits, abandoning Satan's sinful path to obey the will of God the Father, to complete what God the Father teaches us in our daily life on this earth. That is the meaning of obedience according to the command of God the Father so that Satan must fear, submit, and prostrate before the Almighty name of God the Supreme Father.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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