September 13, 2015
Gospel: Mk 8:27-35
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 (1)." And he asked them, "But
who do you say that I am?" Peter said to him in reply, "You are the Christ (2)."
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
He began to teach them that the Son of Man (3) 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 (4) 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 (5), 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."
The difficult words
(1) Prophets were holy men sent by God to
speak to his people.
(2) The Christ means the "anointed one”, the
Messiah promised by God.
(3) The Son of Man is another name for the
Messiah, Jesus.
(4) To rebuke means to correct, or to tell
someone to stop doing something.
(5) To deny oneself means to go against one's own
will and preferences for the sake of doing what God wants.
This week’s spotlight
Waiting for the Messiah
For a very long time, the Jewish people had been
waiting for the fulfillment of God's promise to send a savior, the Messiah. The
prophets told about his coming and asked the people to prepare themselves for
his arrival. The word Messiah (or "Christ" in Greek) means "the
anointed one" - the king. Jesus the Christ is king of heaven and earth. He
was sent by the Father to heal and save the whole human race.
Carrying your cross
Jesus insists that his followers take up their crosses
and follow him. In his great love for us, Jesus carried his own cross all the
way to the end. He warns us that being a disciple won't be easy. Jesus doesn't
expect us to literally carry a piece of wood on our back, but rather to accept
the hardships of daily life. "Carrying your cross” means fighting
selfishness and discouragement, and accepting with patience and love the
difficulties that God allows us to suffer.
Reflection
A super hero?
Jesus asks his disciples: “Who do you say that I am?”
Peter was the only one to answer; “You are the Christ.” But did Peter really
understand what it means to be the “Christ” or “Messiah”? Most Jewish people
thought that the Messiah would be some kind of superhero, a warrior king who
would bring great victories in battle. When Jesus went on to explain that the
Messiah would suffer and be killed, Peter became upset and begged Jesus not to
say such terrible things. Peter, like most of us, did not understand that God’s
way isn't the quick and easy one. Life isn’t a game where we always get the
high score. The way of Christ is not force, but love. Jesus knew that his love
would be rejected by people who wanted easy solutions to their problems. Even
today, few people understand that following Christ means taking up our cross
day after day. As Christians, we don’t have to be superheroes. We don’t become
saints overnight. Jesus doesn’t want us to give up or give in to
discouragement. He wants us to be confident in his love. So, who do you say
that Jesus is?
Discussion questions
1. What did Jesus ask his disciples at the beginning of today's Gospel?
2. What did Peter answer when Jesus asked the disciples who they thought
that he was?
3. What does Jesus tell his disciples next?
4. Who objected to this?
5. Then what does Jesus tell his disciples?
Praying after Communion
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. Lord,
let this communion strengthen us to face times of discouragement with hope. May
the body and blood of your Son be our joy, our light, and our peace.
Crossword Puzzle
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