Deacon Tom Anthony

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 131

Reading 1 Is 50:5-9a

The Lord GOD opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.

The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
He is near who upholds my right;
if anyone wishes to oppose me,
let us appear together.
Who disputes my right?
Let that man confront me.
See, the Lord GOD is my help;
who will prove me wrong?

Responsorial Psalm Ps 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R. (9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I love the LORD because he has heard
my voice in supplication,
because he has inclined his ear to me
the day I called.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The cords of death encompassed me;
the snares of the netherworld seized upon me;
I fell into distress and sorrow,
and I called upon the name of the LORD,
"O LORD, save my life!"
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gracious is the LORD and just;
yes, our God is merciful.
The LORD keeps the little ones;
I was brought low, and he saved me.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For he has freed my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
I shall walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Jas 2:14-18

What good is it, my brothers and sisters,
if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear
and has no food for the day,
and one of you says to them,
"Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, "
but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it?
So also faith of itself,
if it does not have works, is dead.

Indeed someone might say,
"You have faith and I have works."
Demonstrate your faith to me without works,
and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.

Alleluia Gal 6:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord
through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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."
And he asked them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said to him in reply,
"You are the Christ."
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."

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 If we are pray as we ought to pray, worship God as instructed, and  receive God into our lives as He has invited us to then our ears will be opened much the same way that the prophet Isaiah proclaimed his were. With that, we will have obtained the ability to become receptors to everything that God has offered to us in a loving relationship with Him. Everything becomes different as His wisdom and love then pours down upon us like a torrential rain fall. Through this, we are encouraged to confront the physical world and those who oppose us because of our beliefs with confidence, courage, and an understanding that if God is with us then no one can oppose us. We are protected, nurtured and loved by the one who created us. The worries and stresses of this world can never outweigh what God can do for us. Our faith should outweigh anything that challenges it if only we allow it to do so. Acceptance of what opposes us or what might cause us some kind of harm should be approached with the foreknowledge that, in the end, we will be better because of it with God on our side.

When God’s will is set before our own, only good things will result because He is actually telling us what to do. He has our back. If we were to make a list of what we should be doing in our lives based on what we already know through our exposure to God through prayer, worship, and Sacred Scripture, an obvious pattern will result. All that we have done with God and all that we are planning to do with God in mind will be easily accomplished. Yes, there might be things that were or will be more challenging but all things with God eventually bear fruit and positive results. It is when we insert our own selfish wants into the equation where things become convoluted. God being first is a guarantee of success.

A common mistake that many of us make during our journey with God is to mistake our own desire for that of God’s, convincing ourselves that we are doing God’s work while actually doing what we want instead. To avoid this, constant prayer and complete surrender must be committed to. This represents true listening. In the Gospel reading today, Peter tried to convince Jesus that what He was saying did not need to come to pass. In his mind, Peter felt that what he wanted could be achieved in direct contradiction to the will of Jesus who Peter just proclaimed was “The Christ.” It was truly astounding if you think about it. We are all susceptible to the same danger. Our arrogance truly has no limitations unless we put limits on it by humbling ourselves before God.

Listening is a form of prayer. Kneeling before the Will of God is a form of worship. Surrendering completely is an expression of love. Promises and guarantees have been made to us by God. If anyone is going to keep their promises, it is going to be God. When Isaiah understood this, he faced the threat of death with confidence and courage. When the Apostles realized this, they welcomed it with joy. When we finally realize it completely, the same conclusion will result. We may not expect death daily but if the extreme can be met with that amount of faith then what challenges we have, up to and including death, should be minor in comparison.

Deacon Tom