Reading I: Is 50:5-9a

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

Reading II: Jas 2:14-18

Gospel: Mk 8:27-35

Liturgical colour: Green.

My dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, 

Let us first take a look at what the Holy Scriptures are telling us in The Gospel reading today of 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 greatlyand 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.”

If you have ever been on social media, which most of us have, it is sadly all too common to see posts that say things like, “If you believe in Jesus, type amen, and money will come your way within 72 hrs”, or maybe “say click like and type amen and you will get the desires of your heart.” This is complete nonsense! There are sadly within the world many who still believe that to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, means to instantly receive wealth, power, property, good fortune, etc. They are thinking in a worldly way,  in a similar way to such as Peter did in the Gospel Scripture for today. We see that Jesus rebuked him strongly for doing so, and said, “Get thee behind me Satan”.. Our Lord is not a personal Genie for our own purposes, nor indeed a quick and easy route to gaining worldly things. Temporary worldly things and the need for them are not Godly.

We are asked to take up our cross and to follow Jesus. We are to leave behind all our worldly thoughts, wants and desires. To leave behind the wealth, the power, the property and anything else which is worldly and to follow Jesus. Our Lord Christ was mocked and ridiculed, disbelieved, subject to torment, hate from those who saw only through worldly eyes. He was tortured and died on the cross to pay for all our sins. He is the only way to eternal salvation. 

It isn’t an easy road to follow Jesus, nor indeed should it be. Earthly wealth, and happiness can only ever be temporary in nature, as this world itself is temporary.  We are to leave all things of this world behind, to truly take up our cross and to follow Jesus.

Will there be troubles and people who will reject us or even to possibly kill us for taking the path of the Lord? Yes, it is possible, it happened to Jesus, so we should be willing to accept the same if necessary.

To take up our cross and follow Jesus, is to accept all the bad things that the world may throw at us, and yet to carry on firm in faith. Jesus and the way of his cross, are the only way to true salvation, and to eternal peace and happiness. 

Worldly things will pass away, The Lord’s kingdom is eternal, and shall never pass away.

Are we willing to take up our crosses and truly follow Christ as we ought to do, or are we too stuck in the pleasures of worldly things? Do we store up our riches on earth to only lose them at the time of the grave? Or do we follow and store up eternal salvation and riches such as joy and peace which even the grave cannot destroy, because of the sacrifice Jesus has paid for us by his death on the cross in payment for all our sins?

Let us pray:

Father, we thank you or sending your son Jesus to die for our sins on the cross at Calvary. Lord, help us follow in His footsteps and take up our crosses daily. Help us nail our flesh to that cross so that we can deny ourselves every day and truly follow him.. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.