Franciscan Friar Fr. Paul Gallagher reflects on the Gospel readings for the Twenty-fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time. Do you recall some recent experiences that have reminded you how much you are a member of your family, religious community, or ethnic or racial community?
The content is edited by Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Anne Marie Lom and Joe Thiel. The excerpts from the Sunday readings are prepared by Joe Thiel. To read or download the complete pdf with excerpts for your prayer, please click here Franciscan Gospel Reflection September 15 2024. Excerpts are from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Photo: Sister Victoria Masil Stations of the Cross
Mark 8:27-35
Now 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 Messiah.” 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.”
Background:
This is a turning point in Mark’s gospel. Previously Jesus traveled from town to town preaching the Kingdom of God and healing. From this point forward, he will continue to preach and heal, but his journey will be deliberately toward Jerusalem. As Jesus moves toward Jerusalem he will speak three times to his disciples of his impending rejection, suffering, and death. Each time he speaks of what awaits him in Jerusalem, he will also instruct them on what it means to be his follower.
At the time of Jesus there was no consistent understanding of what the Messiah would be like. The term means “the anointed one.” Within the Hebrew Scriptures the term was applied to a king, a high priest, even to the Persian King Cyrus, who allowed the Jews to go home after their captivity in Babylon. Therefore, some expected a political leader, others a religious leader, yet others a great prophet. It is not surprising that the people of the day did not seem to have a clear understanding of who Jesus was. All three of the persons cited in the gospel would indicate that many believed Jesus was a significant religious person who had come back from the dead. One might also wonder if the responses that come from the disciples reflect their own understanding as well as the view of the crowds. It is fair to say that even the disciples of Jesus had not come to a consistent understanding of who he was, even if Peter, who spoke for all of them, could say that “he (Jesus) was the Messiah.” The kind of suffering servant that Jesus indicates is far from Peter’s understanding.
The culture of Jesus’ day is very unfamiliar to most of us. Most of us live in a culture where one is expected to strive to be independent and self-sufficient. When someone is perceived as conforming to the desires or values of others, their behavior is often seen as giving in to peer or family pressure. Other cultures hold the opinions of family and community in greater esteem than one’s own. Jesus lived in such a culture. In the gospels, Jesus is spoken of as the son of Mary or even the carpenter’s son. Peter is the son of Jonah, and James and John are the sons of Zebedee. While Jesus seems to have rejected the trade of his father, he was still a person of his culture. It was important to him to find his own meaning and purpose in and among his disciples, his adopted family. This may explain in some part the harsh response Peter received when he tried to privately express his belief and hope, and his objection to Jesus’ talking about soon being rejected and put to death. It may also explain why Jesus tried on three different occasions to instruct the disciples about his approaching death. Jesus was still a person of his day. Perhaps he was seeking to understand his role with the help of his familial social group.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you recall some recent experiences that have reminded you how much you are a member of your family, religious community, or ethnic or racial community?
- Are you aware of customs, expressions, and shared ways of doing things that are taken for granted within your community that might appear odd to others?
- Did you ever imagine the discipline and suffering that have been part of your life choices?
- Imagine you are one of the disciples and you and Jesus have been walking along the road talking and Jesus turns to you and asks, “Who do you say I am?” How do you respond?
- Imagine you are with the disciples and you hear the conversation between Jesus and Peter. What are some of your thoughts as this short conversation unfolds?
- What arises within you as you hear Jesus say, “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.”
- Can you take some time to talk with Jesus about his role as Messiah, your desire to take up your cross, or perhaps your own experience of your cross at this point in your life?
