24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Isaiah 50:5-9a
Psalm 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 (9)
James 2:14-18
Mark 8:27-35
September 15, 2024
Generally speaking, people want things to be easy.
We think that if we “walk before the LORD,” it should be easy to be Christian because God will make it easy.
Instead, we find the cords of death encompass us; the snares of the netherworld seize upon us; and we fall into distress and sorrow.
When life is not easy, we call upon “the name of the Lord.”
Like the suffering servant, we give our backs to those who beat us. We accept their “buffets and spitting.” As we do so, we count of the Lord God as our help.
Being a disciple requires effort. The reward of eternal life is worth the effort.
Are you willing to make the effort?
Think of this in terms of Jesus’ question to the disciples, “But who do you say that I am?”.
Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
How would you answer?
I’d like to answer with “Jesus is the one who died for me.”
These are good words but do they shape our lives? How does knowing that Jesus died for you change your life?
Jesus then began “to teach them” about his coming Passion. He told them He would suffer greatly and be killed. Peter did not understand this or what Jesus meant when He said He would “rise after three days.”
Because he didn’t understand, Peter then rebuked Jesus. He went from correctly identifying Jesus as the Christ to rebuking him in the span of a handful of words. Peter thought as human beings do and not as God thinks.
Secular society says eliminate all suffering. God takes suffering and turns it into our salvation.
What difference does having faith in Jesus make for you?
Does having faith lead you to do good works?
Do you offer Corporal Works of Mercy to help people with the “necessities of the body”?
Do you offer Spiritual Works of Mercy to help people with the necessities of the soul?
We need to ask ourselves as individuals how our faith makes a difference and leads us to good works.
We also need to ask ourselves as a community, “do our parishes offer works of mercy to others?”. You will find part of the answer in the insert in today’s bulletin. We have our Community Table and support the food pantry to give food to the hungry. We have our faith formation volunteers who help teach our faith. We have our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion who take Communion to the homebound and those in nursing homes.
If you want to help us continue to do these works of mercy and perhaps more, I invite you to come to one of our upcoming listening sessions.
Jesus tells us that if we wish to come after him, we must deny ourselves. Are you willing to make sacrifices in your own life to offer works of mercy for others?
Jesus tells us that we must take up our crosses. Are you willing to accept some suffering for your own salvation and the salvation of others? Jesus says we must follow him. Do you live your live in a way that shows your faith in Jesus as the w