Sepember 12th - 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Is 50:5-9; Jas 2:14-18; Mk 8:27-35)
In Isaiah, the Servant shares that in his experience, God is helping him to persevere, moment by moment, and it’s more desirable than the transient peace and security that would be his if he abandoned his call. In all of his difficulties the servant does not lose heart. He believes that the Lord will vindicate his honor after the time of suffering is ended. Our Psalm reminds us that the Lord hears us when we call and the importance of walking with him in our daily life. James teaches us that we must act on our faith, not just intellectually assent to our faith. Believing in Jesus is a life transforming event, which is meant to impact every area of our lives. We don’t simply “earn” a ticket to Heaven through good behavior. Jesus saves us, but we must cooperate with his grace, repent of our sins, and live with the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Mark teaches us Jesus’ disciples must aim to lose their life in his risen life, so that he can continue his mission on earth through them. Disciples must accept that their life will somehow unfold like his did. We cannot acknowledge Jesus’s existence but then not make any changes in our lives. We must be baptized in the name of the Lord and then surrender our entire lives to him, rejecting our bad habits. “There are not two paths, but only one: the one trodden by the Master. The disciple cannot invent a different way.” (Pope John Paul II, Message for 16th World Youth Day, 3)