Reflection for September 15, 2024

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Isaiah 50:5-9a | Psalm 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 | James 2:14-18 | Mark 8:27-35

Do we want to imitate Jesus in what he does? The readings for the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time remind us to discern the value of suffering in Christian living, to do good works to affirm our faith, and to imitate the sacrificial love of Christ. 

Jean, mother of two, ran into the bedroom when she heard Joseph, her seven-year-old son scream. She found Jane, his two-year-old sister pulling his hair. She gently released the little girl's grip and said comfortingly to the Joseph, "There, there, Jane didn't mean it. She doesn't know that it hurts." He nodded his acknowledgment, and Jean left the room. As she started down the hall Jane screamed. Rushing back in, she asked, "What happened? Joseph replied, "She knows now."

In the first reading, the prophet gives us an image of a man following close to God while being persecuted by others. His enemies beat him; they mocked him, they pulled his beard, and spit in his face. Still, He trusted that God would be his help. He expressed unshakable confidence that God will eventually prove him right and vindicate him. There is something in our fleshly human nature that just loves to get even. When we have been bullied, or injured, or mistreated, or attacked, our emotions well up inside of us and all we can think of is revenge or retaliation. It's clear in the Scriptures that the servant makes no resistance to his attackers. He does not meet violence with violence. He does not resist when he is beaten, when his beard is plucked, when he is struck and spat upon. A servant does not fight fire with fire. Patient endurance is not weakness but a sign of great inner strength. Insults and violence cannot change the inner reality of your person and the message of truth that you bear. Patient endurance of beatings and insults prepare ordinary people like you and me for an extraordinary destiny. Let us take consolation in the words of the Dominican virgin and penitent Rosa of Lima, "Apart from the Cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to Heaven."

Stingy Stephen, a notorious miser was called on by the organizer of the community pantry. "Sir," said the fund-raiser, "our records show that despite your wealth, you've never once given to our drive." Stingy Stephen replied, “Do your records show that I have an elderly mother who was left penniless when my father died? "Do your records show that I have a disabled brother who is unable to work? Do your records show I have a widowed sister with ten children who can barely make ends meet?" "No, sir," replied the embarrassed volunteer. "Our records don’t show those things." "Well, I don’t give to any of them, so why should I give anything to you?"

In the Second reading, James writes specifically of addressing the bodily necessities of our brothers and sisters in Christ. As we come to know and fall more deeply in love with Christ, our challenge is to put our faith into action. We do this in helping the poor but also taking care of the needs of those who are primarily dependent on us and to whom we have obligations, such as children, parents, other relatives, and members of our immediate community. In all of these situations, the cross is present. Can we find Jesus there? Can we follow him there? Loving the cross and carrying it with love is a key sign that we are in fact demonstrating our faith from our works. The lamp represents faith, then the oil represents works. James says, "faith without works is useless." A lamp without oil is useless, too. Confessing faith to our Lord, while certainly good, is not sufficient for salvation. Our good works will affirm that our faith is real.  

Few Jewels capture the eye quite like a perfect pearl. Know how the pearl came to be? In the beginning, it’s only a grain of sand. That tiny little irritant slips inside the tight seal of an oyster's shell, and immediately causes discomfort. With no way to expel the grain of sand, with no way to ease the pain, the oyster coats the sand with a layer of the inner lining of its shell to make the sand smooth. This still does not ease the oyster's suffering. Again and again the oyster coats the sand, but  all the attempts to get rid of the irritant have little effect. As far as an oyster is concerned, what we call a "pearl" is nothing more than great suffering. But one day the oyster is fished from the water and opened. The gem inside has amazing beauty and holds great value – all because the oyster had great suffering. 

Jesus tells us in today's Gospel that if we want to follow Him, we need to deny ourselves, take up our own cross, and follow Him. He reminds us that trying to protect our life too much will cause us to lose it, but if we lose our life for His sake, we will find true life. This might seem harsh, but it's a key part of Jesus' teaching. Many of us avoid pain at all costs, and today, there are preachers who spread a false message, promising wealth and prosperity as signs of God's blessing. They teach that if you're prosperous, you're spiritual, and if you’re suffering, you must be cursed by God. While Jesus traveled by foot as a wandering preacher, some modern preachers fly around in private jets or helicopters. While Christ rested on a small boat, they live in luxury on a sprawling 30-hectare estate on a mountain. While His followers sell snacks and small items, or even beg for help, these preachers have multiple bank accounts overflowing with money. It's outrageous that they live so lavishly off donations meant for charity. But this isn't the Jesus of the Gospel. They worship a version of Jesus who only brings comfort and wealth, forgetting that Jesus Himself suffered and called us to follow His example. If our faith is based only on material success, we'll lose hope when life gets tough. If riches were the ultimate goal, Jesus would have taught us to seek them. Instead, He chose to depend on God, and He taught us to do the same. Suffering has a purpose in God's plan. As Saint John Paul II said, each of us shares in the Redemption. The struggles we face aren’t meaningless; when we unite our suffering with Christ's, it transforms us and has eternal value. The gospel of prosperity contradicts the cross. True blessings come when we embrace the cross, find contentment in what God provides, and serve others, especially the poor and needy. Jesus doesn't ask us to carry His cross, but our own. Each of us has a unique cross to bear, and when we embrace this calling, we discover our true selves as followers of Christ.

<enrique,ofs>