Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday's Gospel is from the Gospel according to Mark, In this Gospel one of the hardest questions that we as people of God face is, “Who do people say that I am?” This is the question that Jesus asks of his disciples who we say he is. To really answer this question truly we must dig deep within to really find the answer that Jesus seeks.  We cannot answer the question without knowing who Jesus is, as the Christ and as part of the Holy Trinity Jesus is one of Three Persons in One God.

To the unknowing ear this question can be answered just as simply as Peter answered with “You are the Christ.” We believe that we all see Jesus in one another and in everyone so if we say that Jesus is Christ than we too must also be like Christ. In a world of so much uncertainty we must look to Christ for the answer to the question, Christ is the model to look to when we face despair or doubt. We look to the Love of Christ that he showed us on the Cross by allowing himself to suffer and die for us. 

When Jesus rebukes Peter and says, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” This line gives us clarity to the last question because Jesus knows his disciples so well that he can tell when they are not being like themselves. To take up ones cross and follow him is a challenge that we must take on daily. We are nowhere near perfect followers of Christ, but he does not expect us to be perfect but to be the best we can be, sure we will mess up time and time again which is okay but that why if we take cross daily, we get a reset button to try again.

I leave you with this quote taken from the Gospel: “You are the Christ.” By embracing God’s word and love each day and becoming more and more Christlike you begin to reflect Christ in all that you do.

--Collins

Readings at USCCB.org
Living the Word resource
First Reading: Isaiah 50:5-9a
Psalm: 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
Second Reading: James 2:14-18
Gospel: Mark 8:27-35