Today’s Gospel presents us with the pivotal chapter in Mark’s Gospel – revealing Jesus’ true identity and his difficult teaching regarding his own Passion and Death, and our need to carry our Cross as his disciples… Let’s take a closer look at this Chapter and what it might mean to us.
Mark’s 8th Chapter is a pivotal chapter of Mark’s Gospel. Up to this time we have seen Jesus teaching the people who crowd around him, and healing many of those people who were suffering from illnesses.
We have also seen that many in leadership positions in the Jewish nation were upset with what Jesus was doing –
his healings on the Sabbath, the day of worship,
his fellowship with people who were considered unclean and untouchable,
and his refusal to follow the many purification laws of strict observance Jews.
The storm was gathering which would eventually break over Jesus and his disciples.
Let’s listen to an eye witness give his account of what happened in Mark 8.
My
name is Peter, and I am one of Jesus’
disciples. I remember well that day when
Jesus told us that he expected our leaders to move against him. I had just voiced my belief that he was the
Messiah – he asked us what we thought about him.
I had been with Jesus for a
while.
I remember when he called myself
and other fishermen from our village to follow him. He came down to the seashore. What a special man. I remember his warm eyes, his inviting smile,
and his peaceful demeanor – the way he carried himself. He promised us that he would make us “fishers
of men.” We almost couldn’t resist. We began that day to follow him.
Over the following months we
observed his beautiful concern and compassion for the sick and infirm.
He reached out to everyone, even
people our leadership considered outcasts and untouchables –
the tax collectors, the prostitutes… even
lepers.
Jesus wanted to include everyone
in his preaching and healing.
He talked about God’s love and
compassion for everyone, and God’s forgiveness.
Everyone was worthwhile to
Jesus, not just those dressed nicely, or those who were important in people’s
eyes.
The people crowded around to
hear him and even just to touch him.
There was something about Jesus,
an authority and a peacefulness to his presence.
The way he looked at people,
smiled at them, treated them with dignity and respect was special to
behold.
He had no ax to grind.
He wasn’t resentful or hard or
self seeking, or manipulative.
He wasn’t afraid to challenge people to repent and to follow God’s ways.
And he certainly was a man of
prayer… many was a morning when we had to go searching for Jesus and found him
on some hillside in prayer. Then he
would tell us of his Father’s love for us.
We could feel it coming thru him.
So, when he asked us “Who do you
say that I am?” My response was
quick - “You are the Messiah, the
promised one of God.”
Then he told us that he was
going to be rejected by our leaders, and he was going to suffer and die.
“Wooo, wait a minute”, I say.
“That can’t be.”
Oops, wrong thing to say.
Jesus calls me on the
carpet.
I still didn’t get some things
he talking about… you know, at times he was not easy to understand.
Then he tells us that we’re
going to be persecuted too, and we’re going to have to carry a cross. That I definitely didn’t get – nor did any of
the others.
But I knew one thing – I was
going to stick around Jesus…
whatever that entailed.
It wasn’t always easy being a
disciple.
I must humbly admit to you that
there were a lot of things I didn’t understand at first.
When the storm cloud of hatred
and envy broke over us that night in
I ran just like the others –
afraid… terrified.
And when those people outside
Sanhedrin questioned me while his trial was going on – that was my darkest
moment – my cowardice, my denial.
But Jesus forgave me – what a loving and understanding man.
And he challenged me to keep
struggling on my journey to live in the way God wanted me to.
And he promised to stay with me
and help me as I follow in his footsteps.
I’m trying to do that a day at a
time.
Why? Because now I love Jesus. It’s that simple. I love him.
Thank you Peter.
Who is Jesus to you. Are you one of his disciples?
You have been baptized. Do you try to follow Jesus each day? Who is Jesus to you?
How would you describe Jesus?
What about Jesus attracts you?
Pope Benedict XVI in a recent Mass
at
… It is important to state clearly the God in Whom we believe, and to proclaim confidently that this God has a human face.
For us Christians, Jesus is the human face of God.
We try to live the way Jesus asks us to. We try to be faithful sons and daughters of our Catholic Church.
It’s not always easy. At times we might not understand. At times we might stumble and fall.
But Jesus promises to be with us to strengthen and to help us.
We’re so special to Jesus. Peter finally understood that – lovable, stumbling Peter. And don’t forget, Peter himself was crucified at the end of his life because he followed Jesus.
It seems that we disciples of Jesus always run into trouble because we walk in Jesus’ footsteps, choosing to live a culture of life – that’s what Pope John Paul II called it…
we are a people of life,
a people of hope,
and a people of forgiveness and compassion.
Because we are this kind disciple of Jesus,
trying to choose life in a culture with so much selfishness and self-centeredness…
because we choose to walk in the light of Christ and stay away from the darkness which is so easy to stumble into…
we might encounter persecution… as did Jesus.
Jesus talks about this in the second half of today’s Gospel. He calls it carrying our Cross.
I don’t have much time to talk about this now. If you would like to read some of my reflections on “carrying our Cross” go to our website where you can find some reflections on this. Our web address is on the front of our Bulletin.
The Cross we carry…
We know that Jesus was crucified
because his opponents rejected his teachings, and were threatened by them, and
probably thought Jesus’ teachings would imperil the Jewish nation in the sight
of the
Do we realize that our following Jesus might cause us to be persecuted?
If you are a part of the “Culture of Life” which John Paul II wrote about…
if you believe in the sacredness of life from the womb to the tomb…
if you strive to bring peace into this world,
and God’s compassion and healing,
rather than always resorting to violence to solve problems – and how many people do that – just read this past week’s newspapers…
if you try to live this way, see what happens.
If you try to be a person who forgives or is willing to treat everyone with dignity and respect – even those you disagree with – see what happens.
If you try to follow our Savior’s example –
you better “look good on wood” – as I sometimes say.
It’s a challenge to try to live the prayer of St. Francis.
There is another kind of cross we might have to bear…
the Cross of sickness,
the cross of personal suffering or family suffering,
the cross of seeing our loved ones going thru tough times.
I remember my friend Fr. Nick. He spent the last four years of his life in a nursing home. He was bed bound. He had to be loaded into a wheel chair and be driven to a hospital for dialysis three times a week. He couldn’t even bath himself.
All through these years he was a man of prayer.
He was patient and loving to other patients and the staff at the nursing home – even to some of the staff who weren’t too compassionate toward him.
I’m sure he wasn’t always joyful – he had his “bad days”.
But he didn’t let these control him.
He remained faithful to Jesus, and with the Lord’s help he kept a good sense of humor and a loving heart toward all.
What an example Nick was as he carried his cross of suffering.
We all have crosses to bear. Sometimes we can’t change things. Sometimes we’re stuck. What is our attitude toward our cross? Do we get resentful and angry, or depressed – and give into these responses?
Do we ask God’s help, and refuse to be mastered by negativity and cynicism?
Do we ask God for the strength to bear our Cross and remain faithful, even if we might at times cry with Jesus, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” In that prayer of Jesus from the Cross – and it was a prayer… Psalm 22… the prayer always concludes, “But in you my God I trust.”
Who is Jesus to us?
Do we live and give witness to a simple, loving faith in Jesus who loved us?
Do we carry our Cross,
whether that be the Cross of following Jesus in a world that so often rejects Jesus’ way,
or the Cross of human frailty, weakness or sinfulness which seems to be woven into our humanity?
As we come to this Eucharist, we come to once again place ourselves at the foot of Jesus’ cross, remembering his love for us.
Let us ask Jesus for strength to love him, and to follow in his footsteps as we carry our Cross.
Jesus loves us. he wants to come into our hearts to tell us how precious we are to Him, and how he will help us to carry our Cross.
<>Amen.