Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings

Reflection on Scripture

In our first reading from Isaiah, we are told of the suffering the Messiah would endure when He came to earth to redeem His people. But Isaiah also tells us that the Messiah would not be disgraced because He placed all His trust in the One who sent Him, God the Father.

Jesus asks His disciples, who do people say that I am. Jesus knew that the people and the apostles were amazed at the miracles Jesus performed and they were beginning to understand that He, Jesus, was the holy one sent by God to redeem the human race. In His dialogue with the apostles and Peter, Jesus reveals Himself for the first time as the suffering servant. Jesus’ revelation was a shocker to the apostles because they envisioned the coming of the kingdom that existed at the time of David and Solomon. The apostles could not accept this revelation and Peter even offered to defend Jesus physically from all harm.

Jesus’ reply was, get behind me satin. In other words, Jesus told Peter that Peter was hindering the will of God.

Every day, I look at the news programs and read articles and newspapers and I get a knot in my stomach and pray that the evil in this world does not succeed and bring about the destruction of our world and our country. And then God consistently speaks to my heart and tells me that this is our cross and are we willing to pick up our cross each day and follow Jesus into eternal life. Are willing to unite our own suffering to the suffering of Jesus on Good Friday for the salvation of the human race.

Like many of you, I have had thoughts of storing rations and acquiring arms to protect myself and my family. But again, Jesus speaks to my heart and tells me that I am already armed with the grace of Baptism and the wood of the cross.

I will raise a question that I have asked myself many times. We live in a godless world where technology and greed have caused humankind to forsake the one true God and to become their own deities, their own god. Suppose in God’s plan, He has decided to let humankind rule the world unrestricted to the point of destruction, so humankind, maybe, may come to the realization that all we are, the life within us, all our good works come from one source and that source is the giver of all life and He watches over His children awaiting the time when they will again turn to Him so, He can forgive their sins and again bestow blessings upon them, as a Father to His children.

We need to remember that on Good Friday, evil was thought to have triumphed over goodness and righteousness. Maybe this is the time when the world will be deceived and believe that God is dead and human ways are the only way. However, we know that on Good Friday death was eternally defeated and on Easter Sunday, life was eternally restored to the human race and to those that believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Today, do not be anxious or overly concerned about the events taking place in our world. Instead, we need to arm ourselves with the cross of Jesus Christ and put all our trust in Him who saves us. Today, we boast of one thing, Jesus Christ crucified and we who died to sin in Baptism, will arise one day to eternal life and see the God who loves us face to face.

Deacon Phil